Nature vs Nurture
by Hasegawa-Michiyo
Summary: On an emergency trip to a small town hospital, a young mother's life turns awry when a haunting creature meets the end of her bumper. Her son sees a little boy like him, but it looks related to the monster responsible for destroying her family, so why should she help it?
1. Chapter 1

.

Nature vs Nurture

Part One

Chapter 1

An aged Fiat Strada speeds down a winding mountain pass. Torrential downpour beats on the pavement. It covers the road in a thin veil of water and it looks as though the car is a boat jetting down a river. The wheels screech and the car comes in and out of hydroplaning as it speeds around the turns.

Two bodies shift right and left on each corner – one small and nauseous, the other desperate and fierce. The car lights up a reflective blue hospital sign, two km written below. The mother pushes on the gas pedal and the sick little boy watches the sign fly past the window. The reflectors belonging to a large supply truck become visible as the car comes up behind it.

A shot of adrenaline pulses through the woman's body and her foot flies off the gas, mashing down on the brake pedal. She can feel her body press into the seatbelt and hears her son moan from the back seat. "Hold on Saji, we're almost there!" She cries out, her voice barely audible as the rain drums against the roof of the car.

Her eyes squint as she tries to see through spaces the wipers clear, but it instantly fills with more watermarks. She creeps into the other lane to check for oncoming traffic. However, the mist coming off the wheels of the truck make it impossible to see. She moves back into her lane and she almost rear ends the truck.

The woman's teeth mash together and she presses the brakes again. The stressed mother smacks the steering wheel in frustration. "Can you go any slower!" She growls at her own reaction. "I have to calm down." She consoles herself and takes a deep breath, letting out a sigh. She knows she shouldn't be shouting, it will only create stress for Saji.

Once more she dips into the other lane, but a set of headlights break through the mist leaving a mark on her retinas. She jerks the steering wheel and the car moves back behind the truck. "Why is it that whenever there's an emergency the whole world seems to be against me?" She complains in defeat.

The rumble strip vibrates the car as it slips into the shoulder. The mountain face is only a few feet away from the speeding car. It zips passed them as if it is on a conveyor belt. A vehicle zooms by in the other lane and a wave of water rushes over their car like a waterfall, blurring the windshield even more.

The only thing stopping the cars in the other lane from tumbling to the depths below is a metal traffic barrier, rattling in the wind. The mother waits impatiently for another chance to pass the truck. As she gets too close to it, a slight smell of exhaust enters her car. Two red lights break through the haze and gently light up the cab.

"Oh, what now." She hisses under her breath. Her chest muscles relax as a single flashing yellow light proceeds. She lets out a huge sigh of relief. Her foot presses mildly on the brake this time, as the truck completes its turn. "Come on, come on, come on." She complains as if her words will be heard by the truck driver.

The little boy, a bit older than four, starts choking in his car seat and a jolt of fear rushes over the mother's body. Her head whirls around to the back and she sees Saji straining against the seatbelt. "Don't worry about the car, honey, just let it out." She tries to reassure her nauseous son. It pains her to watch him suffer like this. When the truck finishes its turn, she puts on the gas and their bodies jerk back against their seats as the car accelerates.

"Sorry sweety, we're almost there, don't worry." With her attention on Saji, the car starts to drift into the other lane. She watches helplessly as Saji brings up whatever dinner they had. A set of headlights come into view around the bend in the road. The red truck barrels toward their car. When they don't move out of his way, he has to sound the horn to get their attention.

It is not until the lights from the oncoming truck light up her car that she turns around. The red pickups horn wails in reckless abandon as the distance between them collapses. Desperation engulfs the young mother. Both her hands grab the steering wheel and she flings it to the right. She feels the car smash into the metal siding. "Mama!" Saji cries out.

Her heart races in her chest as the car scrapes up against the barrier and watches helplessly as the truck hurls towards them. Saji's screams emanating from the back seat. The metal shifts against the weight of the car and a sharp pang of fear jabs in her chest like a knife. The four-year-old looks at his mother through the rearview mirror, her twisted, frightful, expression only reassures his own worry.

They watch impotently as the oncoming vehicle slides towards them. She can just make out the face of the stranger as her own headlights light up the front of the pickup. Shock and horror. She might as well have been looking in a mirror...

"We are heading home now, Naida." The mother sitting on a park bench nods and smiles at her friend who starts to help her son gather his things. She turns to Naida one last time before leaving the park. "Good luck," the friend says with compassion in her eyes.

Naida looks down at her own little boy sitting quietly in the sandbox. They both watch the other kids play in the background. Saji has his red pail and yellow plastic shovel resting at his feet, but he is more interested in manipulating the granules with his hands. He grabs fists full of sand and lets it run out when he loosens his grip. A gust of wind blows his golden brown hair back to expose his light blue eyes.

The young mother sighs as she brushes her own reddish bronze curls behind her ear and her eyelids flutter shut. Naida tries to hold back tears as she searches within herself to find the right words. But, there isn't, is there? He will not understand, will he? How do you tell your child that he won't be able to see his father anymore? That he's gone forever...

The cab of the car gets brighter and brighter. Naida's heart grows heavy in her chest and she can feel a lump form in her throat. "I'm so sorry, Naru. I failed our son. I failed him as a mother." Her own thoughts tempt her as she flirts with the idea of closing her eyes and letting death take her. Take them. At least she will be with Naru, they both will. They will be a family again.

The oncoming pickup swerves, smashing into the side of her car. Sparks fly through the air as metal meets metal. The sound of her son wailing in the back seat soaks the car in terror. She can feel the traffic barrier buckle under the pressure. It feels as though the car will fly off the edge at any moment, yet the barrier holds strong.

It is the only thing keeping the car on the road. The back right tire slides off the edge and the undercarriage scrapes on the pavement. The horrible sound overpowers the screaming child and mother as they slide along the edge of the cliff. Chunks of rock and dirt tumble to the depths.

Her hands and feet shoot into position, grabbing the wheel and revving the engine. She turns the wheel to the right as far as it will let her. With the wheel cranked and the engine revved, the back wheel pops up onto the road when it hits a piece of railing. Her teeth clench together so hard she worries she will crack a molar. The car glides across the road on the thin film of water and before she has time to react, her lights light up something in front of the car.

Its shape is indistinguishable from the storm. Is it an animal? She thinks. It's upright shape breaks through the rain when she comes upon it. Alarmed, she jerks the wheel back to the left and the car starts to fishtail. "Get off the road!" She cries out. Adrenaline races through her veins and her feet slam on the brakes as hard as she can muster.

Her muscles flex to their full capacity and she waits for her leg to snap like a stick in a bear trap. Her blood-curdling scream fills the car as she feels the bump and bangs when they roll over whatever it is. As soon as all four wheels make contact with the road again they come to a screeching halt.

Naida stares listlessly out the front window for a short moment. The rain seems to let up a little and gently knocks on the car. Exhausted, she drops her head onto the steering wheel. A slight honk emits from the car as the weight of her head pushes on the horn. All sound seems to vanish, as though the animals, the rain, stop to behold the accident.

The sound of the car horn echoes through the valley. Weak and tired, Naida slowly peels her head off the steering wheel, leaving behind a red mark on her forehead. Her sapphire eyes try to focus on her white-knuckled hands, still flexing around the steering wheel. "Saji?" She whispers. Naida turns around to see her son sitting in his car seat, eyes steely and unblinking.

Bits of glass from his window is sprinkled over his body. She can't even feel the tears as they stick to her pale cheeks. She reaches back and frantically brushes the glass off of him. A small burp leaves Saji's mouth. "Mama…I'm hungry." Naida sighs in relief. The corners of her mouth bend up into a slight smile. She places her hand on his head. It feels cool to the touch.

She looks down at the spew and sees tiny white balls. The remains of a silica packet. Her lids tighten across her eyes and she takes a deep breath, letting it escape slowly from her lips. Naida's hand slips off his forehead and runs down the side of his face. "Hey!" her body flinches at the sudden break in silence. She turns around, but the yellow lights of her car reflect off the rain making it hard to see the person.

Her thumb and forefinger press against her forehead as she tries to figure out what to say to the angry, large frame man approaching her vehicle. What do you say to the man you almost killed. She wonders. "Wait here Saji. I'll be right back." The shakiness in her voice makes her wince. She wants to stay level-headed for Saji's sake but is failing miserably. "Get a grip Naida." She mumbles under her breath.

Saji watches his mom unbuckle her seatbelt and open the car door. She steps out into the rain and her feet disturb a puddle on the road. It makes a splashing sound and the water ripples to the edges of the pavement. Naida braves the storm and wraps her jacket around herself. The rain chills her warm body and her breath becomes visible in the cool mountain air.

"Just who the hell do you think you are, huh?!" She is at a loss for words as the man barrels towards her "I-I'm so sorry. I, my son, he was…sick and I-I." She thought of what she wanted to say, but when she tries to express herself, her words get crumpled up into a ball, leaving her with partial sentences. "You nearly got us all killed. How much good would that have done you, or your son for that matter!"

What can she really say, he is right, she has been irrational all night. She doesn't even know what silica is. All she knows is it had a "do not swallow" on the packet with a "call poison control". "I know. I did the best I could...but it wasn't good enough...I lost control." Naida brings her hand up to her mouth as the shock subsides and the reality of the situation starts to sink in.

The rain disguises the tears that stream down her face, but before any of them can say any more, the man's eyes focus on something odd on the road. "What the hell is that." Her hand slides off her face and she looks up at the stranger who has a certain amount of confusion and disgust written on his. "Excuse me?" She asks feeling confused and irritated by his tone. Is it something she said? Didn't say? What?

His hand rises up from his side, slowly, listlessly, directing her attention behind her. "I think you hit something." Her body tenses and she hesitates to turn around. Of course, how could she have forgotten?! She thinks to herself, as the memory returns to her. The screeching tires, the headlights focusing on a wayward figure, and the bang as its body met the bumper.

It's a memory she prefers to remain forgotten. A memory that feels more like a dream, a hazy conjuring of her imagination. With her eyes still fixed on the man, she slowly turns around to observe the thing he is pointing at. Her muscles lock up when she sees a small dark mass splayed out on the road.

A cocktail of emotions erupts in her psyche as she stares despondently at the indistinguishable figure. "Did I run over a person?" She worries. One emotion, in particular, is plaguing her and overpowering the frequency of the others. Fear, she wants to run. As much as it pains her to admit it, she wants to run. And it took every ounce of her will to defy instinct.

This can't be real? Has she gone unconscious, perhaps she has slipped into a coma. This is unlike anything she has ever seen before. The main feature she can make out through the haze is what appears to be black plates sticking out of its back. "Is it an animal?" she whispers. Her legs hesitate with each step she takes towards it. The shroud of rain and darkness evaporate as she gets close enough to inspect it.

Blue armor like flesh with dark spots. Her body trembles more, it almost looks alien. All of Naida's muscles tense when she sees it. Her breath becomes shallow and quick as a tight, hot sensation fills her chest. Bending down she reaches out a shaky hand, unsure whether from the fear of the unknown or the accident.

"That's one of those monsters from the cell games!" The man yells out, causing Naida to jump and stumble away from it. "...monster?" She turns around to see him rush towards her, grabbing her away. "Don't touch it, it's dangerous." The Cell Games, that's right. Naida watches as rain pours down on the jumbled creature splayed out on the pavement. Its appearance brings back a fear she wishes she would not re-live, yet she feels immense pity for it.

purple liquid runs off its body and it forms in puddles.

A little voice breaks the silence "Is he a little boy like me?" She looks to her left, surprised by her son's comment. She did not notice him leave the car and approach them. She hurries over to Saji standing uncomfortably close to its body. If this man is worried about it perhaps she should be too. She did not watch the tournament. Not after what happened, but she knows all too well what that monster is capable of.

She wants nothing to do with it after what that terrible being did to their family. Her face and chest burn hot with anger at the thought. She scrambles forward to pull Saji away only to catch a glimpse of its face. Naida's hand jerks to her chest in surprise as she examines its familiar facial features. It did look like a child. "Saji, come away." She says in distress as she brings him away from it.

"Should we call somebody?" Naida asks the stranger, her voice cracking. He looks at her credulously. "Do what you want, lady, but I'm getting the hell out of here, even if you aren't." He stares at her desperately, hoping she will set his mind at ease and leave with him. Otherwise, he will have to be ungentlemanly and leave her here if she doesn't.

Even though he doesn't know this woman, it is the last thing he wants to do. He contemplates this as he stares at Naida's son and back at her. "Mama, we have to help the little boy!" Saji presses as he tugs on her shirt. She looks down at his pleading eyes and back at the stranger's worried face.

She brings her gaze to the body on the road again and the man sighs in frustration. "Are you coming or not!?" She can hear the desperation in his voice. She looks into Saji's pleading eyes and runs her hand through his hair. Then, she reaches into her pocket for her phone. "I'm sorry, but I can't. We should do something, shouldn't we?" She asks hoping for validation.

The man waves her off with both hands and jogs back to his vehicle. All she can do is watch helplessly as he gets into his car and starts to drive away, bumper scraping on the pavement. "That thing is dangerous!" He yells out his window, as he revs the engine and speeds down the highway. How rude, Naida thinks to herself. It's just a child, right? How dangerous can a child be? She wonders.

She watches the pick up disappear around the bend in the distance. She didn't notice Saji sneak off. "He doesn't look bad." He is crouching next to the blue creature, his small hand reaching for it, bristling with curiosity. "Saji no!" She runs back over and picks her son up into her arms. "It might be, we don't know." She fumbles with the boy in her arms and her phone slips from her fingers and smashes on the road. "Shit! I mean poop!"

She rushes Saji back to the vehicle and places him in the car seat. She makes sure he is fastened in."Did he die like daddy?" She looks into her son's eyes. Naida feels anxiety sweep over her body and her sanity slipping. "...I don't know." She says softly. He still seems in shock, so she fails to get a read on his expression. Her eyes glance at the small mound through the rear window and she gathers up some courage "Stay here okay."

She kisses Saji on the forehead and grabs his favorite baseball bat from the trunk. Naida looks at the bat. The words scribbled on the side read "swing fast!" Signed by Rocky Rivers. Saji's favorite baseball player for the Rockets. Her brow furrows and she grips the handle as she creeps towards the creature. She no longer has back up, no more safety in numbers. It is just her and the little monster.

The phone lays next to its head, screen smashed. Naida hesitates as the man's words echo in her mind. "That thing is dangerous!" She squats down gingerly and winces as her left knee cracks. "Okay, Naida, deep breath..." with that she reaches her hand out to it. "How can something this young cause so much fear in that man?" She thinks out loud.

Placing a hand on its small shoulder plate, she slowly and gently rolls it over onto it's back, her face distorts with emotions she is not sure she has felt before. She flinches as it's arm flops onto her burgundy runner. Purple liquid ran down its chest and the corners of its mouth.

Naida's hand flies up to her face as she feels overwhelming grief. Did her car do this much damage? It felt like she ran over a small tank, yet it looks like it has been beaten to death. It looks so much like a child to Naida, it grieves her. Even though it is the same thing as that monster she can feel her shoulders trembling with compassion for it. She gasps and air rushes into her lungs as her eyes close. A few tears squeeze out as she grips the pavement.

"I'm so sorry." She cries. Naida woefully reaches for her phone. She did not even notice the rain stop. A garbled inhuman like groan comes from the creature and it weakly grabs her hand. Every hair on Naida's body stands on end. "Ahhh!" She grips the baseball bat, and like a professional baseball player, she smokes the creature in the head as if she is hitting a home run.

The creature lay flat out, face down on the road with its arm hanging over the drop-off. Her scream continues to echo across the valley. She drops the bat in shock and the metal makes a clanking sound on the wet pavement. "What the hell am I doing!" She scolds herself. It needs help and she clobbers it in the skull. Her thoughts race. When it spoke it freaks the ever living daylights out of her. This night is turning into a nightmare.

Naida grasps her hair in distress, instantly hating herself. "You should have just left, like that man!" Naida looks back at the car worried Saji has seen her commit this unspeakable act. She starts looking around to see if anyone else is coming, but there is no one around in either direction. She briskly walks over to its side. It lay face down in the mud and rocks.

Naida places a delicate soft hand on its back with unease and shakes it gently. When it doesn't respond she attempts to move it away from the ledge. She groans as she heaves its dense body. How can something this small have the density of a dying star? The glow from the town below catches her attention. "It's not too far away..."

She moves her hand around to its neck, just under the jaw and pushes hard. A weak, rhythmic pulsing pushes against her fingers. She can feel the tension in her muscles relax. She struggles to her feet and runs back to the car to grab a blanket from the trunk. She then shakes the fibrous material out and hurries back to the creature.

"Don't worry, everything is going to be okay...I hope." The last part is but a whisper, in fact, she isn't even sure if the words made it out at all, probably for the best. She is careful as she places the blanket on top of it and tucks it under its body. She struggles to pick it up, her knee cracks again and she flinches. Holding the creature like a crocodile, Naida rushes back to the car and places it in the back seat with Saji.

Not her first plan mind you, but she doesn't have the heart to stick it in the trunk of her car. However, she already through sanity out the window when she decided to help it, and smokes it in the head with her son's baseball bat. His birthday gift. Signed by his favorite baseball player. She shutters at the thought. "Is he going to be okay?" Naida hurries around the car forgetting her son just asked her a question. An important question, at that.

Realizing her neglectfulness, she answers him haphazardly. "I don't know sweetheart, we have to take him to the hospital." The hospital? Or the vet? She froze for a minute as she tries to answer her own question. Fear envelops her when she remembers the man's reaction. What will the hospital staff think? Will they even help him? She starts lightly banging her head against the steering wheel.

Small honking sounds emit from the car as her head makes repeated contact with the horn. Stupid, stupid, stupid, she screams inwardly. Naida straightens her back and takes three deep breaths. Whenever she finds herself in a tough situation it always helps. She has to get the car started first anyways, baby steps she reminds herself. They can figure out the rest later. She isn't even sure if the damn thing will start.

Naida pats her pockets for her keys and she can feel the burning in her chest again as a mini panic attack ensues. "Where are the keys? Oh my god, I lost the keys!" She shrieks. Saji watches perplexed as his normally level-headed mother starts to have a mental breakdown. "They're already in the iniss-igissin." The last word is barely coherent as the little four-year-old struggles with it.

Naida looks up from her emotionally drunken stupor. The keys dangling behind the wheel. She didn't notice the car still running, the headlights are even lighting up the road. Wow, she thinks as shame seeps over her. She slides her hand down her face in embarrassment. She really needs to get her head on straight if she is going to drive them safely into town.

Naida's hands tremble slightly as she grips the steering wheel and adjusts the rearview mirror. As she did so, she observes Saji buckling over the car seat, lifting the blanket. "Saji no, what did I tell you!" her hand grabs him away. When her eyes met her sons she can see the concern in his eyes. "I'm sorry mama..." his tone sounds sunken, depressed.

She can feel a lump form in her throat again. It pains her to see her son subjected to all this, and it's all her fault. "We will help him. I promise." The moment the words I promise leave her mouth she wishes she can take them back. She doesn't know what will happen when she goes into town with a creature from the Cell Games. A creature that looks almost identical to that monster.

Yet, she is driven by the desire to set a good moral example for her son. The fact is he doesn't know what Cell looks like. What he has done. She sees a monster, but her son just sees a little boy like him. She is not even entirely sure she will be able to help it. Or even if she wants to. Does that make her a bad person? She wonders. She envies the stranger that drove away. It would be so much easier to have left it there and gone home.

Home. The thought of it warms her.

It angers her when she thinks about the monster that destroyed her family. Now a smaller version is in her car and she is about to help it. She listlessly cranks the shift into drive and turns the car around. The right-back wheel wobbles slightly on the axis as she heads to the next exit.

* * *

disclaimer:

This is a work of fiction using some characters from the Dragon Ball Z world, which I do not own, of course. This story is merely a work of my imagination and I do not attribute the events in it to official story canon. Nor do I profit from it. Hope you enjoy and thanks for stopping by!


	2. Chapter 2

.

Nature vs Nurture

Chapter 2

Naida pulls into a small mountain town where the old mixes with the new and the dogs roam freely through the streets. The thunder drums in the distance and the raindrops only leave a few specs on the windshield. A blue hospital sign directs her onto the main road that leads to the center of town. The high beams follow the car as it turns onto the street and startles a stray dog digging in the trash. It bolts out and almost collides with her car.

Naida jerks the wheel to the left and her foot pops the brake. "Look out!" Her brows scrunch together. "Is everything suicidal today?" She stares sharply at the dog scampering down the street. Saji listens to his mother mumble indistinguishable obscenities under her breath as they cruise along. A large sign for the Hospital comes into view and Saji points with a big smile on his face. "There it is!" Naida continues to drive by and Saji watches confused as they pass it. "Why didn't you stop, mommy?" Naida's body stiffens.

Is she really going to bring a potentially hostile lifeform into a facility filled with sick and vulnerable people? Why did she have to go and make such a promise? She doesn't want to be responsible for unleashing an evil monster in an infirmary. What if innocent people get hurt? What if they call the cops on her and they take Saji away? This is far too risky, but she already has taken it this far. "Damn it." She curses under her breath and shakes her head as these thoughts race through her mind. "What would Naru do...?" Her voice is quiet, but Saji's ears prick up at the sound of his father's name.

"Daddy always knew what to do." His tone reeks of disappointment and Naida's heart sinks in her chest. Yes, he did. She can't help feeling disappointed in herself. She always feels like she can never quite live up to Naru. He was quite headstrong. It was his most defining trait. And she, well she is mousy. A wolf and the mouse. What an odd couple. If Saji only knew what this thing is. Would it even matter if he did? He's a child, he doesn't know such things as evil. She wishes it will stay this way. That he can stay innocent, but there will come a time when even that will change. He will grow up and come to understand what happened. What will he think of her then?

The car slows to a stop "I know you miss your dad. I do too..." Naida looks compassionately at her son through the rearview mirror. His head slumps to his chest, but his face reignites with a bit of luster as he meets her gaze. "Could we visit him in the park tomorrow?" Naida raises a brow at his question. "The park?" Right, he still doesn't quite understand the concept of a cemetery. She has to force a smile at her son. Her throat tightens and it's hard for her to answer. "Yeah, we can bring some of the lily's Miss Sukishima gave us." Saji smiles back at his mother in agreement.

With that, Naida's face hardens and she straightens her back out. She rotates the wheel to the left and the car pivots around towards the hospital. She pulls up on the side of the road, the distance of one building away. "This is a Hospital?" Naida says in confusion. She stares dumbfounded at what looks to be an old house renovated into an infirmary. White paint adorns the face of the building. The previous old, flaky, cracked, layer is still visible underneath from what looks to be a new paint job. The doors are the newest thing on it and a bit out of place. A pair of sliding doors. The perfect example of money well spent, she rolls her eyes.

Just as she is about to get out, the doors slide open and a man steps outside. Naida's back slouches again and she bites her lower lip gently. "Great. He will be out here for 15 minutes at least." Thoughts of how the staff might react buzzes in her mind. How should she go about this? She pinches the bridge of her nose, her elbow resting in the palm of her hand. She has never had to do this before. She became increasingly aware of the beating of her heart as she waits pensively. She even starts to count its beats. Her breath becomes shallow and weak and she can feel her pulse increase.

As they sit in the car, Saji stares with droopy eyes at a small flickering flame that lights up some of the man's face. A puff of smoke escapes the person's mouth. He turns his attention back to his mom who is running her fingers up and down her face. "Am I having another panic attack?" Naida mumbles. All this stress is pushing her to her limits. She is probably blowing things out of proportion, too. She always does this. It's not like she has a responsibility for the thing. She can just drop it at the door. "Are we going in?" Saji asks.

He would have waltzed right in without a second thought. Yet she can barely muster up enough courage to leave the car. He is so much like his father. Bold and brash, and yet Naru could be level-headed. When he wanted to be, anyway. Saji has his weak moments, but he's just a little boy. His question reemerges in her distracted mind. "I will, I just need a minute, honey," she says as she stares out the windshield. Her chest expands as she takes a breath of air. Saji continues to watch the nurse smoke a cigarette. "Such a nasty habit," he shakes his head. His little hands gripping the edge of the window.

A few giggles escape Naida's pale pink lips. "Yes it is, and don't you forget it." The playful energy is enough to animate her. She pops open the car door. The cool mountain air rushes into the vehicle as she steps outside. Flecks of cold rain tap on her face as she closes the door. She leans against her blue Strada. Naru smoked, She closes her eyes. She hated it, too. She isn't one to judge, but she certainly does not want her son picking up the habit later in life. He looked up to his dad, all children look up to their parents. That's why she has to set a good example. At least that's what she's telling herself.

"I'm just going to walk into the hospital and see if someone can help. That's it. No big deal." Or maybe she should just leave it on the steps? No. She will bring it into the hospital herself, she ponders. No telling what they might do. Saji can wait in the car if they need to leave fast. She steps away from the car and stands tall. "No, don't even think about that. I bet they won't even know what it is." Naida's body quakes as it tries to shake out all the negative vibes. "Surely they have seen worse things." Heck, a lot of people in these sequestered mountain towns don't even know who Cell is or even about the cell games. At least Naru's parents didn't.

His parents were such kind people to offer help to her after Naru's passing. She is fine on her own, but she doesn't have the heart to turn them away, no matter how much she might want to. Lately, she wants to turn everyone away, to be alone. Regardless, they have been elated to see more of Saji. They don't get to see him often. The only reason she knew of current events was that her husband was a military man. She has never been big on television or mainstream media. "Enough stalling, I can do this." A foggy vapor leaves Naida's mouth as she takes a deep breath. She tries to rub the cold out of her arms as her own words conjure enough energy for her to act.

She makes her way to the back of the car to the passenger side and opens the door. "Can I come too?" Saji pleads. His hands fumble with the belt buckle, but she answers without hesitation. "No. I need you to stay here...and I mean it," Her voice is monotone, almost robotic. Saji knows his mom means business when she has that tone. "Don't open the car door for anyone." She stares at her child like a school teacher. This little misadventure is giving her a bit of energy. She should run things over with her car more often, she morbidly jokes to herself. "I will be right back, okay?" She watches his head droop to his chest as he fiddles with the strings on his coat. "...okay."

This is important to him, she understands why. She looks at the blue action figure on the seat beside him. "Please help him, mama." He looks up at her, eyes filled with sorrow. Naida's nods and her chest trembles as she loops her arms around its body. It feels surprisingly warm. "Ugh," she groans as it slumps in her arms. Its weight causes her to stumble back. She readjusts the body in her arms and nudges the door to the back seat with her hip. The door glides shuts loosely with a click. "Lock the doors," she orders and uses her rear to force it the rest of the way.

The man is nowhere to be seen, so she breaks into an awkward jog towards the doors. Her feet slap on the wet pavement as she approaches the entrance. The lethargic doors slide open. Naida squeezes through as fast as she can and her jeans hook on the door frame. The doors rattle when she breaks away. "Quiet!" She hisses. Perhaps it is the lack of sleep as the entrance seems to close quicker. Even the door knows better than to sass her when she has her mama bear face on. There is a very concerned little boy counting on her.

The fluorescent lights harass her eyes as she rushes into the empty lobby. A vending machine hums as she contemplates leaving it there and heading home. She can see the news headline now. "Local woman seen on surveillance drops monster in sleepy mountain hospital. 300 dead, 10 injured." What is she thinking, she groans. "Time to finish what you started, for better or for worse." Naida adjusts the body in her arms and looks left and right. "Where is everyone?" She begins rushing down the halls. It doesn't take her long to come upon what looks to be a male nurse mopping up an accident of some kind. She can only imagine what.

She can feel a knocking in her chest as she approaches him. "Excuse me...," she barely squeaks out of her tight throat. "Sir I need some help, please..." She watches the nurse dunk the mop back into the water and sloshes it on the floor. The knocking quickens beneath her breastbone and her face crumples. "Are you hard of hearing. I need help." Her voice is stern, yet he remains unmoving. It takes all she has to choke out a few words and he ignores her? Naida's eyes come to notice a wire dangling from his ears and quiet, raspy music. She looks at the ceiling and sighs.

"He's wearing earphones, dummy." She extends an unstable hand to him. "Hello?" Her hand touches his shoulder. The man's body lurches and he grabs the buds out of his ears with wide eyes. "Please, can you help me?" Naida pleads. Her voice is shaky and raspy. "I need to speak to a doctor." The male nurse looks at the floor and up to her in shock. "Oh my god! I'm so sorry!" His face distorts. "Please wait here. I will get some more help right away." The nurse races past her and down the hall she came from leaving her standing alone.

Naida doesn't know whether to feel relief or panic. She turns around to see the nurse slip and fall as he tries to round the corner. "This is it, this is happening." Her eyes fixate at her feet. Drops of purple blood are flecked on the white freshly washed floor. Her eyes follow the trail all the way down the hall as a female nurse and the same male nurse round the corner. "Why am I doing this," Naida whispers as her muscles tense up. When the lady nurse spots her, she breaks into a jog. She wants to turn and run the other direction as they rushed towards her.

"Oh my god! What happened?" One of the nurses asks as she reaches Naida and begins to escort her down the hall. "I- I hit it with my car." The nurse is radioing someone as she answers, asking for a stretcher. She looks up at Naida as if she has two heads."It?" A garbled message returns her call and the nurse carefully takes the body out of Naida's arms and into her own. The nurse grunts and has to adjust herself. One more person arrives from the other direction with a stretcher. The wheels creak and rattle as she hurries towards them.

Naida watches in quiet terror as the lady places the shrouded creature on the gurney and slowly pulls the blanket off. "Wahh!" The nurse jerks away and they all shriek in unison. "Why did you bring this here?!" A sharp pain shoots through Naida's chest as the nurses stare dumbfounded at her. "I don't know. When I hit it with my car I thought I should get it help and I didn't know where else to bring it. I'm so sorry." Naida's hands clasp together at her chest and she bows. Her worst nightmare comes to fruition as she stares at her feet eyes wide with uncertainty.

"You hit it with your car?" One of the nurses asks with a nauseous expression. "What is it?" asks the male nurse. Standing over it with a mixture of curiosity and disgust. Naida straightens herself out and looks at them all staring awkwardly at the creature on the stretcher. They don't know? Is she in the clear? "Are you able to help it? I think it's dying." The two female nurses look to Naida, mouth hanging open. Their eyebrows look as though they will rise right off of their foreheads. "No way. This thing's not even human?"

"No way?" Naida's soft, worried expression darkens. Her face hardens and their body language shifts to unease in her presence. "You won't do anything?" Naida's words are harsh. She didn't come out of her way, out of her comfort zone, for these ignorant asshats to completely dismiss her. "Isn't it your job to help? You can't just say 'no way' and expect me to go 'oh, okay then' and leave!" Naida's head feels hot and heavy. She feels as though a vain was going to burst in her forehead. She has had just about enough tonight. Between that truck driver and these nurses, she was ready to start punching a few throats.

"What do you expect us to do? We've never seen anything like this" The male nurse swallows hard as he struggles to keep eye contact with Naida. "Can you at least consult a doctor?" She can't believe she has to ask that. She knew all too well how small towns like this can be, but a hospital? Who manages this place? She's never spent much time in this town before. She would only pass through on her way to Naru's parent's house when visiting to stop at the convenient store for Saji's favorite candy. To think she almost had to give birth to Saji here.

"None of our surgeons are in right now. It looks like this...thing needs more help then we can give, Ma'am." Naida's fists clench together and she steps towards the nurses. "What kind of place is this? There are no doctors, at a hospital? You have to be kidding, right?!" One of the female nurses raises her hands to chest level and waves them gently "This is a quiet mountain village, we don't get that many emergencies at this hour, but we do have a surgeon on call." The nurse says reassuringly. Naida runs her hand down her face dragging the skin with it.

"Well then call him! Or her, or whoever!" She throws her hands up in defeat. Why is she getting so worked up over this thing? The night has been far too long to contemplate this. She is sick of dealing with these goofballs. How hard is it to get the proper authority down here? She never thought she would be arguing for this monster. Especially what it represents to her and her son for that matter. She must be out of her mind. In fact, she guarantees it at this point.

The male nurse stares at the creature on the gurney with a solemn expression on his face. His hands rest on the metal bar surrounding it. "I'll see what I can do." The other two make a disagreeable face at him and he returns the favor using body language Naida isn't equipped to decipher at this hour. They almost look to be communicating telepathically. They must know each other well, Naida thinks. They all walk briskly down the hall towards the makeshift lobby, leaving Naida alone. She can still hear their voices. Nothing but murmurs though, as an argument erupts between them.

Naida shakes her head and her eyes roll in her skull. She turns to face the stretcher and walks slowly to the side of it. She has not seen the thing in this light before. She has spent more time with it than the nurses and yet she really doesn't know what it looks like exactly. Her eyes move up and down its short body. It looks no bigger then Saji, yet it is oddly tough looking. Bruises, scrapes, and scratches riddle its body. It has a large, cracked indent on the right side of its head crest. Cracks in its black chest plates are oozing with blood. She wonders if that is from her car or the bat.

Her hand comes to rest on her chest and her mouth relaxes open. It looks in bad shape. She has a hard time believing she could have done this. When she held it's body earlier it seemed...sturdy. Her brows droop after examining its condition. It doesn't seem as frightening to her on the hospital bed as it did on the road in the middle of the night. She wants to reach her hand out and touch its face. Two eyes, a nose, and a mouth? Its features have humans characteristics. If it wasn't for the odd colorful markings on its face. How can these nurses refuse to help so willingly?

Naida reaches a hand and brushes her thumb on one of the purple strips on the side of its face as if she expects it to rub off. Its skin feels warm and smooth. It's hairless, not quite like human skin. She moves her hand up to its head crest and shifts it from side to side half expecting it to come off. Its head falls to the side when Naida lets go and her shoulders tense up. Her hand returns briskly to her chest. She feels like a child with a stick poking at a dead body. Except this one was still alive.

Naida peaks around the corner to see the male nurse talking with a corded phone pressed to his ear, most likely speaking to the doctor. The only one in the whole town. The only one for a few miles, probably. He hangs up the phone and walks towards her. When he sees Naida, his head nods at her as he turns into another room. The other two are nowhere to be seen and Naida snorts as she turns back to the stretcher. She doesn't feel nearly as frightened of it as she had on her own. Her son is safe in the car. She need not worry about his well being in its presence anymore. "Saji...," she exhales.

Naida folds her hands in front of her chest and bows her head. A sickness tickles her heart as she thinks of her little boy. Saji has never been an extremely vibrant kid, but he has fallen abnormally quiet this past week following the death of his father, understandably. He had a bit of a hard time understanding the concept of death. She has been doing her best to answer any questions he has, but he has not cried like she had expected. He has just been quiet. In fact, he often just wonders why his dad isn't coming around anymore. She's been so worried about his coping that she hasn't really had time for her self. "I should go check on him."

She leaves the stretcher and peaks down the hall in both directions. When she sees the nurses are out of site she walks briskly to the lobby. Her wet shoes squeak on the glossy flooring so she lightens her steps. When she reaches the lobby she can see Saji in the back seat of the car. Naida lets out a sigh of relief and waves. She sees his sleepy little hand wave back through the foggy window. "Still awake, what a trooper." She takes one step back and looks down the hall to see if anyone has arrived. The male nurse comes out of the room with a folder in his hands and looks surprised to see her there. "I'm just going to check on my son." She gestures to the entrance and the nurse nods. "Go on ahead, I'll be right here."

As Naida leaves towards the entrance the male nurse shouts out. "Actually, ma'am? I didn't catch your name earlier?" Naida stops in her tracks and her runners make a high pitched squeak when she lurches forward. "Oh, umm. It's Naida Gin-" Wait, she stops herself short. Should she be giving him her full name? This can be traced back to her. Back to Saji, if things go wrong. If. Right, what could possibly go wrong. She only brought a monster to a hospital. "Naida Gin. Just Gin, It's been a long night," she chuckles a little and rubs the back of her head. "Right. Thank you, Mrs. Gin," the nurse says as he scribbles in his folder.

Naida's legs feel like noodles and her stomach twists. "Actually, it's just Miss now." Naida instantly regrets the words as they leave her indecisive lips. The man taps his pen on the folder in his hands. His mouth opens and closes a few times before he thinks of what to say. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to assume you were married." It was perfectly fine for the nurse to say what he did. It wasn't incorrect, so why does she feel the need to speculate otherwise? Naida bemoans. "I am. I mean I was, but...he passed away." The nurse looks away and scratches his head as he struggles to come up with the right words. "I'm really sorry to hear that, may I ask what happened." He speaks with sincerity but there is regret in his eyes.

Naida averts her gaze when her eyes begin to blur. That's none of your business, she wants to say. She knows she only has herself to blame, but she is mostly startled by her own petulance. "It's fine." Now, why on earth did she go and say that? She most certainly is not fine. Must she dig deeper into this rabbit hole? 'Why is a raven like a writing desk?' Naida tries to distract herself. She doesn't realize she is pressing her fingers to her head with her eyes slammed shut until the nurse interrupts her. "Umm. Mrs. G-, I mean, Naida?" Naida's eyes fly open to see the nurse trying to approach.

"He was a pilot for the Kings Guard," her words run off her lips at an alarming rate so she tries to loosen her tense muscles "...he was killed in combat when the army was deployed to destroy that horrible mon-" Naida stops herself as a pang of fear jabs in her chest. She almost gave herself away, that creature away. If they don't know what it is, best not to inform them. "Nevermind. I don't want to talk about it..." Naida can see the nurse trying to come up with the right words to say.

Most people do this, she thinks to herself. They feel obligated to say something important as if they will find the magic words that will make it all better, but there isn't any. She knows they mean well, of course, but there really isn't anything to say at all. Naru is dead, nothing can bring him back, that is that. Unless somebody has some magical way to bring people back from the dead there really isn't anything they can do. "There's nothing you can say or do that will help," Naida says as she shrugs her shoulders. The nurse looks at his feet to avoid her gaze.

A rush of heat fills Naida's head. She can't suppress the toxic emotions that bubble up within her. She isn't even sure why she decided to confide in a complete stranger. She wishes there was a time machine that can transport her back before she ran her mouth. She could stop Naru from going. Even if there is one somewhere, she knows there was nothing she could have done to stop her husband's death. Sure, she could have begged on her hands and knees for him to stay, but that wasn't like him. He wasn't the kind of person to sit back and do nothing. Probably why he was in the army in the first place. Was one of the reasons she fell in love with him.

Naida pats the sides of her legs and does an about face, then marches to the doors leaving the solemn nurse in the lobby. She waves her arms in big sweeping motions at the sensor to open the doors. When they don't respond she kicks them. "Open you piece of junk." A piece of the frame falls off and clatters on the floor and Naida turns back to see the man look down at his notes and walk away. "You did the right thing," she mutters venomously in self-hatred as she pries the doors open to get outside. She wraps her arms around her torso to shield herself from the cold. She grew accustomed to the warmth the hospital provided. Her skin prickles in response to the cold so she jogs the rest of the way to the car.

When she gets to the window she relaxes her jagged forehead and makes a silly face at Saji who is watching her. Nothing. Not even a grin. Poor kid she thinks. He must be exhausted. She unlocks the doors on the driver's side and gets in. "Good boy," she says quietly to herself. Naida turns around and rests her chin on the headrest. She tries to force as gentle of a smile as she can after that unpleasant conversation. She knows there is going to be many sleepless nights as she writhes in self-loathing over it. "How you doing, kiddo." Saji's puppy dog eyes meet Naida's soft gaze. "Is the little boy going to be okay, mom?" She takes a heartfelt breath and exhales. "I'm not sure, but the doctor is on his way and they're going to do the best they can to help." She squeezes his toes through his black rubber boots.

Saji's jaw stretches wide open in a big yawn. "I hope so...maybe we could be friends." A prick of pain stings deep within Naida's chest. She didn't even think of what this could lead to. This is not the kind of opportunity she wants to create for Saji. It will most likely lead to disappointment. Especially if that little monster doesn't make it. The last thing she want's to do is explain death again. Not now. It's too soon. She really isn't much of a liar, either. Besides, she has tried to build their relationship off of truth. As much as she possibly can, anyway. She watches him manipulate his action figure in his hands. Adjusting the arms and legs in impossible positions. She opens her mouth ready to speak, but a flicker of motion tickles the corner of her eyes.

Her head twitches towards the movement. A middle-aged man in a trench coat approaches the hospital doors and has to pull them open to enter the building. He jogs through, kicking the metal frame on the ground. Naida watches him rush further into the hospital. "There he is. I'm going back in, okay? Stay here and-" Saji answers before she can finish, "don't open the doors for anyone." His voice is lethargic and Naida smiles at him. "Yes, never, ever, ever," she says as she pushes the car door open. when Naida gets out she presses the lock twice to be safe. Her wet shoes squelch on the pavement as she slams the door behind her. She rushes to the hospital entrance, hoping she doesn't miss anything.

The doors are still open when Naida gets there, so she hurries through and runs into the lobby. She continues down the hall and slips around as she tries to get to where the stretcher is. When she finally does, it's gone. A disturbance echoes down one of the adjacent corridors and Naida races towards the noise. Her heart is thumping. She could have gone home. She could have stayed in the driver's seat and drove off. She could have lied. For once. Just this once for crying out loud. "I've lost my mind, I've lost my mind...," she chants repeatedly "I don't care what she thinks! Get the potassium chloride."

Naida slams her foot on the ground to stop herself but her wet boots cause her to slip forward. Her left knee cracks as she goes into a kneeling position to stabilize herself. "Owie," she cringes. Naida lets out a long groan as she uses her hands to push off of her leg to stand up. She limps a few steps back to one of the rooms and looks in. The middle-aged man and the nurse all surround the creature on the gurney. One of them leaves the body tepidly as their superior stares aggressively at her with his hands on his hips. The male nurse from before sees Naida walk into the room and his eyes increase. "Wait!" Naida shouts before he can say anything. Her breathing is deep and fast. 'You need to get in shape!' she thinks to herself.

The doctor turns and his hands fall to his side. He strides towards her pointing to the doorway. "You can't be in here," he says in a harsh tone. He grabs Naida by the arm and then turns to the others. "What are you waiting for, get on with it!" Naida yanks her arm away and runs towards the nurses strapping in the monster on the stretcher. "What are you doing? Stop that?!" The male nurse grabs her as she tries furiously to stop them. Her vision blurs in and out and her head spins with vertigo "Naida, you can't go in there, he's not in good condition!"

"Let me in! I have to see him! I have to know if it's him!" Naida shrieks. Another man comes to assist in restraining her as her free arm reaches for the metal door behind them. "Naida, you have to believe me, please!" Her hands grasp on to his orange uniform as they pull her away from the morgue. Her thrashing is enough to cause one of the men to fumble. Naida rips her arm out of their grasp and barrels through the swinging doors startling two men in white lab coats. "Oh god, no!" She screams and falls to the floor. Naida's arms wrap around her stomach after seeing the chard remains laying on the metal table; limbs missing.

"It can't be him! It's not him! It can't be! Narusa!" Her fingers dig into her ribs and her head presses against the floor as she screams out in disbursal. The man watches Naida crumple on the floor of the hospital. He reaches for her slowly. "It couldn't have been him," Naida cries, "it couldn't have..." The young female nurse from earlier enters the room with a needle but stops in her tracks when she sees Naida. She stares at the others in confusion. "What's going on?" Before anyone has time to answer her, the doctor rushes over and grabs the needle out of her hand. "It doesn't matter. We have to kill this thing before it does us all in!"

"What is the matter with you...," the male nurse grumbles under his breath. "What did you say, Kazic?" His hand rests on Naida's shoulder and he looks up at the doctor from under his brow. "Can you not see she needs help? She is clearly suffering from some kind of situational induced trauma." The doctor walks past Nadia and Kazic on the floor. "Do what you want, but I'm taking care of this once and for all." As he does so Kazic and the other nurse help Nadia to her feet. The doctor nervously leans over the creature and brings the needle to its neck. His hand shakes as the needle inches towards its porcelain skin.

Naida shoves the doctor and he is forced into the medical equipment beside the stretcher. He falls to the floor and some of the instruments fall on top of him. The female nurse and Kazic jump to his aid. Naida is already undoing the straps holding the creature down as the other female nurse tries to interfere. The gleam of a scalpel on a tray beside the stretcher grabs her attention. Her hand jerks towards it and the nurse grabs her hands desperately. "What in blue blazes are you doing!" the doctor shouts from the floor, "have you gone mad woman!"

Naida manages to wrestle out of the nurse's arms and grabs the scalpel. The tray and other utensils crash to the floor. It makes a loud clang that stings the ears. "Stop!" yells Kazic as Naida tries to cut the straps. One more nurse rushes into the room with the look of shock on their face. They don't hesitate to help restrain Naida. She lets out a primal scream when she is forced to the ground with her arms held behind her and a knee pressed into her back. "Let me go!" Naida roars from the floor.

One nurse brings some twist ties over and straps her wrists together. As they lifted her off the floor she thrashes around like some kind of wild woman. They carry her off and out of the room. As the door closes behind them Naida spots her son hiding under a table. "Saji!" she shrieks, jerking her head back and colliding with Kazic's. They almost lose their grip on her as they hurry her off. Saji can hear his mother's cries get quieter and quieter as he huddles under a table. His little heart thudding rapidly in his chest.

His hands hold his legs tightly as he sits frozen in shock. He stays motionless in his hiding spot and stares at the door his mother was carried out of. He wants to help her. He wants to save the day like a real hero. Like Space Boy, like his dad. Some hero he is. Saji wipes his tear stained cheeks and his runny nose on his sleeve. He swallows the lump in his throat and hesitates twice before crawling out from under the table on all fours. Just like when he pretends to be a lion. Mom puts his food in a dish on the floor. She is cool like that. Just where were they taking his mom? Should he follow?

He looks all around the room. At all the equipment. Everything is so high up. One of the fluorescent lights flickers periodically. His eyes fall on a bit of blue peeking up from a metal bed. "There he is." All he wants to do is get a good look at him. That's it. Saji walks over to the stretcher apprehensively. He checks back at the door hoping the doctors don't come through. He never liked doctors. He doesn't really understand why everyone tries to convince him otherwise. He knew all along they could not be trusted. Saji tries to stand as tall as he can to see on top of the bed. Even way up on his tippy toes, but nothing. When is he going to get taller already, like he was promised?

He looks around and sees a chair up against the wall by the table he hid under. He heads over to it and pulls it across the floor towards the stretcher. It screeches and wains like nails on a chalkboard as he drags it. Just when he is about to climb up someone bursts through the door. His whole body jolts and his wide eyes meet his mothers. She rushes towards them sweat dripping from her brow. "Mommy!" His smile goes limp when his mother ignores him. She starts on the straps quickly, but she does not rush. There is an odd calmness about her. Much different than the woman they dragged out of the room moments ago. Saji doesn't know what to think. "Let's go," Naida says to him in her serious voice. She almost loses her balance a bit as she lifts the creature off the bed and heads to the door.

Saji runs to catch up to her without a question. As he follows her out of the room he looks down the halls wondering where the doctors went. He contemplates asking, but he isn't sure if he should right now. He looks up at his mother walking briskly down the hall. She walks with purpose. Her long wavy hair jostles with the weight of each stride. Naida could have walked through walls without flinching and Saji would have followed without so much as a word. He would have followed her to the edge of the world right now, knowing she would have defeated anything that got in their way.

Naida moves swiftly past the lobby and turns down the hall leading to the exit. Saji slows down as he passes another hall. Muffled shouting and banging carries down the halls and into his ears. "Saji?" He jumps a little and looks at Naida adjusting the creature in her arms. "Let's go," she encourages him with a light smile, but he can pick up on the slight concern in her eyes. He looks down the hall as he slowly walks towards his mom. Naida surveys the hospital one last time as her one free hand rests on Saji's back to she help him along. They get to the doors and Saji jumps over the metal railing his mother broke earlier. The doors are still stuck open. It brings Naida a bit of relief and she jogs to the car. "Come on, Saji. Hurry up." He joyously runs to the car with his mom with a big smile. "Okay."

Naida opens the back door to the car and in the rush tosses the creature into the car with little care. "Sorry," she cringes. However, Naida is in far too much of a rush to feel guilty. Heck, for all she knows the thing is already dead. As Saji comes up behind her she picks him up and puts him in the front passenger seat. "Put your seatbelt on," she says emotionless and closes the door. Saji smiles in jubilation at being able to sit in the front, like a big boy. He watches his mom run around the front of the car. The head lights shine off of her auburn locks as they catch the wind revealing her scrunched expression. Saji isn't sure if she is angry or just trying to tolerate the weather.

The door creeks open and the car wobbles as she plops in and slams the car door closed. She cranks the ignition, then steps on the gas. It causes the car to speed forward and Saji feels like an astronaut taking off. He looks out the window and sees one of the men running out of the hospital. He chases them down the street. "Mommy?" Naida puts on the gas and the doctor doesn't keep up for long. He hunches over to catch his breath and Naida breathes a sigh of relief. When they round the corner she double checks Saji's seatbelt. She turns down various streets not sure where she should go next or what she should do. Naida sees a major road and turns on to it.

"This place looks like a ghost town at night." Nobody has any reason to be out and about at this hour of the morning. A curse and a blessing for them. She wonders if the cops will be out looking for her now. She comes to an intersection with a bent flashing yellow traffic light. When she gets to the intersection she whips the car around to the left and parks on the side of the road facing the wrong way. "What are we going to do, mommy?" Her head turns to Saji looking up at her from the passenger seat. Naida's mouth opens then closes. She can almost feel the synapses in her brain trying to make connections that refuse to form. What on earth should she say? What should she tell her son?

Her mouth opens again and she stares off down the road through the windshield. "I don't know," the words slip out of her mouth. Naida's body slumps into her seat and the tightness in her shoulders and chest relax. "I don't know." It feels good to say it. Here she prides herself on transparency when the whole time she has been pretending. Pretending to know all the answers. The truth is she has none. She knows it and any onlooker would know it. Heck ever since she gave birth to Saji she's been "pretending". There was no manual for this. Nothing. Maybe instinct. You do what your parents did. And then you find out that even they were "pretending".

She looks at Saji in earnest. "I don't know what to do." Saji stares back at his mother. Then looks all around like he does when he is thinking. "What would you do if it was me?" Naida's stomach turns. Did she say that or did he? She looks at her son, her pale complexion even paler. She doesn't know which way is up or down right now. All she wants to do is go home and not do today anymore. Drink a glass of wine, no, a bottle, then go to bed. Since when is she an alcoholic? She laughs to herself. Did she laugh out loud?

Saji just watches his mother with one brow raised, adults are weird. They're always talking to themselves. Always thinking too much instead of doing. His mother stares out the windshield, her hand tracing her jawline. 'What if it were me...' Saji's words echo back in her mind. At least she thinks he said it. Maybe it is just her subconscious making itself known to her. This must be what she's been thinking the whole time. If it were Saji, she would have stopped at nothing to get him help. But it isn't Saji, now is it. It is something potentially dangerous. Potentially evil.

Too much waiting around and she will be too late. She has no time to be sitting here contemplating. She made her choice earlier. She could have left him there. Him? Now she's humanizing it. What next? Her eyes fall on to a weathered, metal framed phone booth. She hasn't seen one of those in years. The big cities don't have them anymore. Not like this anyways. A light smile dances across her face as she allows a wonderful memory to wash over her. "...oh Naru." Wait, she ponders. A phone booth, that's just what she needs. Naida perks up in her seat and backs up the car. She turns it around the right way and parks.

"Come on, Saji," Can't have you sitting in the car unattended with this thing, she thinks to herself. Naida pops open the door to the car and hustles over to the booth leaving the door to hang open. She looks back at the car to see Saji's door swing open. His black boots splash into the puddle on the side of the road and he runs through a bunch more on purpose. He loves the way the ripples move, to disturb the surface. He crouches down and watches the world warp and shift as the puddles slowly normalize. "You just have to go through the puddles, hmm." Saji grins up at his mom from under his lashes. Naida shakes her head and smiles.

She tried the hospital, but what about a vet? Maybe they will be more open than the hospital staff. After all, they do deal with nonhuman entities. Maybe not exactly like this. She pulls the folding door open and is glad to see a booklet in a slot underneath the phone. It is small, more of a pamphlet. She opens it up and there's a haphazard map of the town and a bit of town history beside it. The map will be useful, she thinks and continues to flip through the pages. Dr. Mosley's Animal Hospital jumps out of the page at her. Naida's hand grabs the phone and she presses it to her ear. An automated voice prompts her to make a payment. "Shoot, I don't have any change on me."

Naida pats her pockets frantically. She can hear the pitter patter of Saji's feet approaching her and his little hand extends. "Open your hands." He says like he has a surprise. Naida smiles and holds her hands under his and he drops a few Zeni into her palms. "It was in the car under the seats," he says beaming with pride. "Well, thank you, kind sir," Naida says with the voice of an old woman. Saji giggles enthusiastically. What a wonderful sound, she smiles. She hasn't heard him laugh like that in a quite some time. He is probably just beyond exhaustion at this point, though. Even she is getting a little silly.

Naida puts the coins in the slot on the phone and listens to them roll through the machine. When they clatter on top of the hidden stash inside she pushes the large metal button with her index finger. The beeps are loud enough to hear from the receiver and it begins to ring and ring and ring. The answering machine takes over. Stating the veterinarian office hours and a small note at the end to call Mosley's direct line, in case of emergencies. "Dang it all," Naida groans. "We better hope a real emergency doesn't happen in this town with all the running around you have to do to get help." Isn't this a real emergency? She shakes her head dumbfounded at her own words.

Naida can hear the automated voice prompt her to make another call and how to get her change back as she opens the leaflet again. She doesn't have to look far for Mosely's number, they at least had the decency to put it right under the Vet. "Here we go again," she says to Saji huddling up beside her in the booth. She dials the number and her heart starts to beat quicker. She knows she will succeed this time, she just knows it. A garbled sleepy voice answers the phone with a, "...hullo." It is almost inaudible. Naida tenses up and her throat slams shut. Speak, you dummy. "Y-, yes. Umm, hello. I think I have an emergency."

The older man grumbles on the other line as he takes a few seconds to answer her. "Is this Martha?" Naida tries to answer, but he beats her to the punch. "I told you it's just a sebaceous cyst. Quite common in dogs his age. It's not cancer, I assure you. Lucas will be fine." The irritation in his voice is quite evident, yet sympathetic at the same time. Naida struggles to get the words trapped in her throat out and the man continues. "Now if you don't mind I would like to get some much-needed sleep. It's 2:30 in the morning, Martha. You should be more worried about your own health, you should be in bed resting." What is wrong with you speak, speak, speak! "I'm not Martha." She almost shouts but corrects herself halfway.

"My name is Naida and I have an emergency. Please. Can you please help me. The people at the hospital wouldn't and I don't know what else to do." She can hear the man fumble with the phone and when he answers his voice has a serious tone. "My sincere apologies ma'am. Is this an animal related medical emergency?" Naida presses her hand to her forehead, unsure how to answer. If she lies what will he do once she gets there? How will he react? Is it even a lie to say he - this thing is an animal? "Ugh, yes. I think. I mean...I'm not sure what it is exactly. I hit it with my car and it's bleeding all over my seats-" Naida's voice is noticeably shaky and her body starts to tremble.

"I will be right there, at the animal hospital on Main. Are you close by?" his voice is incredibly sincere. Naida looks at the map in the pamphlet and answers quickly, "yes? I think so." She swallows and tries to release the tension building in her throat. She doesn't really know and doesn't have time to look for the street he just gave her. She can barely turn the pages with her shaky hands. "Alright, I am leaving right away. I will be there in a few minutes." Naida can hear more shuffling through the line and the jangling of keys. "Go around to the back of the building. I can let you in through the back exit. See you then." Naida doesn't have time to answer back before the phone hangs up.

"Let's hope this is our last stop tonight," Naida whispers as she hangs up the phone. She runs her hand through Saji's hair as he sleepily looks up at her. "Let's head back to the car, okay." Saji nods and starts walking back to the Strada. He steps through the puddles but with less enthusiasm as before. Naida grabs the pamphlet before she hurries to the car. She sits in her seat and waits for Saji to pull himself up onto his. She is about to buckle him in but he stops her. "I can do it," he says with a bit of sass. "Okay, okay." Naida takes her hand away from the seatbelt and closes her door. As she waits for Saji to finish she becomes aware of how cold her arms feel. She has been numb to the cold for most of this night but it is starting to catch up to her.

"We have to get to the Main street, okay?" She grabs a pen from a tray and circles it, then hands the booklet to Saji with a smile, "can you handle that?" He nods enthusiastically. "Yeah!" He loves to give directions, he is always happy to help with things. She is lucky like that. Some parents have to work hard to get the same results. She points to their location on the map. "We are here and we have to get to here. We will be driving North, this way, okay?" Saji nods again. "Ready? Here we go." Her face is serious as she pulls out from the side of the road and she drives down the street. Saji holds the map out in front of him. "You have to turn right here okay, mom?" Naida nods with a smile.

It would have been hard for her to watch the road and look at the book for directions. She doesn't need to be running anything else over tonight. "Right here, mom. You have to turn this way." Saji makes a motion to the right and Naida follows the road onto another road. A green street sign is too rough to tell what it says but she trusts Saji to get her where she needs to go. "Turn here, mom," he says quickly. Naida has to tap the break a bit too slow down to make the turn. This street sign is at least legible. "Here we are. Now we just need to find the back lane."

Naida can see an older gentleman half a block away unlocking the front doors to a building. "That must be him." Saji looks at her and then back at the man, curiously. The doors close behind the person as Naida and Saji pass. There is a large sign for the vet office with neon lights. It would have been hard to miss even without a map. They look to be in the center of town. "Look mama!" Saji points to a tall bell tower held up by four pine logs that taper near the top. A triangular roof with tiles adorn the top and a large rusty bell hangs down from the middle. What looks to be a flower bed encompasses the base. Metal posts with a chain fence keep people from wandering too close or possibly just for decoration. It was quaint.

Behind the bell tower is a small standard looking home that has a large sign on the front that reads Victory Hill Town Office. The building looks well taken care of. In fact, most of the buildings do in the surrounding area. They have a bit of a western look architecturally speaking which seems a bit out of place in the middle of the mountains. The main office sits in the center of a plaza in between a fork in the road. Naida keeps to the right as she searches for a route onto the back lane. She pulls up to a side street with a gravel road running adjacent to it and cranks the wheel to the right. She does another right onto the alley. The car rumbles and wobbles as they travel down the back lane.

The popping of rocks that squeeze out from under the tires of the beat up Strada as they pull up to the back entrance of the Vet office. "Looks like we are here...," she says apprehensively. Her hands grip the steering wheel tightly and she closes her eyes for a moment. When she releases her grip she turns off the car and puts her keys in her pocket. Naida slowly turns around to look at the creature in the back cab of the car. It is laying face down with one arm hanging from the tan seat. It's dark purple blood stains the upholstery and Naida groans. 'Not my Strade,' she says to herself. Naida shivers at her own response but decides not to read to much into it.

Saji notices her upturned expression and tries to turn around in his seat but his mother stops him. "You stay here, mister. I'm going to take him inside and talk to the doctor." Saji remains silent and looks at her with pouty eyes. "I really need you to stay here this time. I understand that you want to help, but it just isn't safe, sweetheart. I need you to understand that." He looks down at his feet and taps his boots together avoiding eye contact with his mom. "Saji, I need you to promise me this time," Naida's voice is stern. "..Okay." Saji's answer is almost inaudible and Naida's brow furrows. "Saji, look at me." The four-year-old slowly tilts his head up towards his mother. However, his eyes stare at the dashboard as he avoids her gaze. "Promise me you will stay here."

He takes awhile to respond but he looks in his mom's eyes and gives her a satisfactory answer. "I will. I promise, mama." Naida nods and gets out of the car. She walks around the vehicle and pops the back door open. She is about to pick up the creature but stops herself. Naida jogs to the back of the car and opens the hatch on the back. "I thought I had another blanket around here someplace." She riffles through various canvas bags and bins. "Ah, there we go." When she pulls out a picnic blanket a pang of doubt stays her hand. She looks at the blanket remembering days of yesteryear and sighs."You can always buy another one," she reassures herself then closes the hatch.

Naida hurries to grab the dying creature and lays the blanket over it, tucking the fabric under its body like she had before. She lifts it up slowly, then hobbles over to the entrance and knocks on the wide metal doors blocking her path. Naida turns to Saji staring through the window of the beat up Strada and motions for him to lock the doors. She looks at the scrapes and dents lining the body of the car. The back wheel is crooked. The car might get written off after this, she thinks. She hopes not, this is the first vehicle she owned. She worked hard to afford it after high school. It means a lot to her. She weights a bit longer before knocking again. Before she finishes the door opens quickly and she stumbles back.

"Terribly sorry," says an older man with grey hair and a coarse grey beard. "Please come in." He holds the door for Naida and she ducks under his arm when she walks in. He drops the door and it makes a loud clank that vibrates off the walls of the dark hallway. He directs her into a room with a small examination table and when they walk in the vet extends his hand to her. "Dr. Mosley," he smiles at her, but it seems forced to Naida. She can barely see his mouth from under his mustache. "Naida," she says quietly and shakes his hand. He walks over to a set of counters with a jar of biscuits and various medical equipment. The walls have a variety of posters. One is for heartworms and Naida's face crinkle in disgust at the thought of such a thing.

She looks at more posters on the walls that have various breeds of dog and cat. She has never been to a vet office before. Then again she has never owned an animal. Naida has always been a little nervous around dogs, and cats were usually indifferent to her. There is only one cat she could recall that was quite pleasant. It would walk with Saji and her to the bus in the morning when she would take him to daycare. An orange cat with stripes she would call Tiger. Saji would race ahead and the cat would chase after him and block his path. It would hold him there until Naida caught up. The memory made her smile. Maybe she and Saji could adopt a cat at the shelter one of these days.

"You can lay it on the table," Mosley says. Interrupting Naida's thoughts. His back is still turned as he puts on a pair of latex gloves. "Right," Naida places it gingerly on the table. Her chest and arms start to shake as she waits for him. At this point, she isn't sure if she is actually anxious or if this is a symptom of exhaustion. "Alright. Let's have a look here." Mosley turns around and begins to unwrap the blanket. When he unveils the creature his eyes widen. "What on earth...? Do you know what this is?" He looks up at Naida with wide eyes that burn into hers.

Naida's body goes rigid. He knows what it is? His eyes, they are riddled with fear. Naida swallows hard and decides the truth will be the best option. How will fanning ignorance help her case, anyway? She is far too tired at this point to even care what he thinks of her. At least that's what she is telling herself. "Yes, I do...I took it to the hospital, but they refused to help. I can understand why and I will understand if you feel the same way. I have my son with me and to him, it is just a little boy. He probably thinks it's the hero from his favorite cartoon for crying out loud." Mosley's brows knit together and he doesn't hesitate to form a rebuttal.

"You know what this thing is and you still brought it here with your son?" His words sting. Naida knows he is right to judge her, but it still makes her defenses rise. "He's only four. What was I supposed to do? commit a hit and run? My son wouldn't have understood if I left it there laying on the highway." Dr. Mosley looks down at the monster in silence. His weathered hands clutch the edge of the table. "We don't know if this one is even dangerous, do we? It's just a child so shouldn't we help?" Naida says as she folds her arms into a tight knot in front of her chest. Mosley gently moves it's head to the side, examining the damage on its cranium and body. "A child or not. A cub can grow up to be a lion."

As Naida watches him study the creatures her heart rate slows and her temper cools. His hand moves to its neck and Mosley gently feels for a pulse. "Hmm." Naida watches him place a stethoscope to its chest. "The pulse is very weak and the limbs feel quite cold. I've seen this many times. It is very near death," he says as he rests his hands back on the metal table. "Isn't there anything you can do?" He looks at Naida with a brow raised. 'This woman doesn't know when to quit,' Mosley thinks to himself. "Even if I wanted to, It truly suffers. It would be more humane to put it to sleep at this point. However, I wouldn't feel right helping this demon anyways."

"Please..." Naida's body trembles and her voice begins to shake. "Please help. This is very important to my son. You see, his father died recently. What am I supposed to tell him? How can I possibly tell him this again." She tries to fight the tears, but a few escaped her eyes anyways. Naida feels as though she will die of embarrassment. She doesn't even know this man and here she is, sobbing like a child over something she shouldn't even care about. She should be home, Saji in bed. But instead, she's dealing with this when she should be mourning her husband. Mosley looks at her sympathetically. Not a single bone in his body can resist helping someone in need. What a terrible weakness, he groans inwardly.

Does this creature deserve his help? What is he thinking? of course it doesn't. Perhaps if he offers an antibiotic and IV fluids it will be enough to satisfy her. Then he can be done with this and get back to bed. It is illogical at this point, but he doesn't have the heart to send her off with nothing. He can always put it out of its misery later. Yes, that will do. "I'll give it an antibiotic and some fluids if it will make you feel better?" A wave of relief washes over Naida. Saji and her have been through so much this night and finally someone with a heart. If it doesn't work than they at least tried. "Yes, could we try that?" Mosley can feel his conscience nagging him like a mosquito buzzing in his ear. If only he could swat this one away. He swallows hard and nods with a weak smile. "Okay, Let's bring it to the operating room then."

He reaches for the creature on the table and his hands hesitate. Naida can feel a small spark of fear in her chest, but Mosley proceeds to pick it up. Something doesn't quite feel right, but she is ready to be done with this whole mess. He cradles it in his arms and Naida follows him into a large operating room. Mosley gently place's it on a metal table and leaves the room for a few minutes. He comes back with a pouch of fluid and a metal stand. The wheels rattle across the floor until a few wheels get stuck and he has to slide it the rest of the way. He hooks a fluid-filled sack onto it and then walks over to the cupboards across the room. He comes back with a needle and tubing. "Thank you," Naida says softly. Mosley's stomach turns but he smiles at Naida and nods.

He grabs the creature's arm and feels it's inner elbow. How on earth is he going to find a vein? The purple, wrinkled flesh makes it difficult to tell where to poke the needle. Well, it's not like it's conscious. He can keep trying until he finds it. Besides, It's not like he feels sorry for it. As far as he's concerned it got what it deserved. Naida looks away as he jabs the needle in. He has to try a few more times but he eventually succeeds. He tapes it in place and steps back. "That should do it. The rest is up to it." When Mosley returns the items to their proper places Naida reaches her hand out and feels it's neck for a pulse. But nothing. He said it had a weak pulse, but this weak? "Um, Dr. Mosley?"

The worry in Naida's voice makes him look her way. He quickly takes off his rubber gloves and throws them in the trash. "Is something the matter?" He walks over to the table and looks at the creature with confusion in his eyes. "I don't feel a pulse..." Naida chokes out. Mosley hooks the stethoscope up to his ears and has another listen. Naida fiddles with the zipper on her coat obsessively. A wave of sorrow hits her when she looks into Mosley's eyes. "It must have just passed on," he mumbles. A small rush of dopamine courses through him and he sighs. What a strange mix of emotions. He is relieved, yet he feels guilt? "I'm sorry I couldn't have done anything. Do you need a minute?"

He barely finishes his sentence before Naida replies, "no." He nods and walks over to the cupboards then grabs a sheet. He returns to the table and notices Naida's blank expressing as she stares at the creature laying limp on the table. "After all this, it just dies?" She would be lying to herself if she said she wasn't disappointed. She watches Mosley slowly place the sheet over its body. How surreal. She didn't expect this night to end this way. "Are you sure you don't want a minute?" Naida shakes her head back and forward. "I just want to go home..." Mosley nods in response. "Right. Could you meet me at the front? I still need to make a report of the incident." Report? Not again, Naida groans to herself. "I guess so, sure..."

Maybe she should just run out the back. She laughs to herself. It wouldn't be the worst thing she had done all night. Mosley walks out of the room leaving Naida alone with it. She rests her head on her hand and stares at the body hidden under the sheet. What is she going to tell Saji? His heart is going to be utterly broken. Will this affect him later in life? Naida breathes out and she looks at the fluid pouch. Is it possible Mosley did this? Was she right to trust him? It doesn't really matter at this point, now does it? What's done is done. If this were a game she lost. But it's not. It's real life and this creature lost its. "Are you coming." Naida's body jolts and she turns around to see Mosley poking his head in the doorway.

"Sorry didn't mean to startle you." Naida holds her hand to her chest and takes a deep breath. "Goodness," she deplores, then nods at Mosley. She listens as his footsteps get quieter as he walks back down the hall. She turns around and looks at the creature one last time. She places her hand lightly on its chest and tries to come up with the right words. "I'm sorry...I'm sorry I took too long to get you help, even if you may not have deserved it. And, I'm Sorry I hit you with my car and hit you with a baseball bat." Naida cringes. This is a terrible eulogy. She takes a deep breath. "I'm sorry I failed you. Rest in peace." Naida returns her hand to her side and quickly leaves the room to go meet Mosley in the lobby...

The door to the blue Strata slowly opens and two rubber boots splash in a puddle below. The little boy uses both hands and all his strength to close the car door. It makes a loud thud and Saji stubble's back as it shuts tight. Something crashes to the ground behind him and he spins around to see a trash can spill into the lane. A bit of movement catches his eye and he sees the back end of a raccoon as it wobbles down the alley. Saji sighs and brushes the dirt off his hands before he makes his way to the door of the Veterinarians office. He looks up at the wispy cloud-covered sky. Small patches allow the beautiful starry night to peer through. He closes his eyes for a moment then returns his gaze to the large metal doors before him.

"What's taking so long?" He rubs his eyes with both hands and yawns. The puddles beneath his feet splash as he walks up to the back entrance. The boy pulls his hood over his head to keep his ears warm. He can feel a bit of warm air blowing through a small opening in the door. Saji holds his cold fingers out to warm them then tries to peak through the small crack. "Mommy?" His fingers grasp the edge of the door and he tries to pull it open. He has a bit of success, but his dry hands lose their grip on the door and it bounces slightly on a rock stuck in the frame. Saji's heart pounds in his chest and he steps away from the door. He contemplates running back to the car but freezes, expecting his mom to come through the door and scold him.

But, nothing happens. The little boy creeps up to the door and presses his ear against it. When he doesn't hear anything the four-year-old tries again. A burst of warm air blows a few of his russet locks peeking out from under his hood. Saji scoots backward as he pulls the door halfway open. When he releases the door he runs through before it has time to close. It clanks loudly and Saji's hands jerk up to his ears. He holds the hood tight against them as he stares down the hall. Still no sign of mom? If she didn't hear that one than where is she? He wonders. His hands return to his side and his ears prick up at the sounds of mumbles in the distance. He fiddles with his strings on his coat as he looks down the dark hallway and at another set of doors with two windows.

Why is it so dark? A bright fluorescent light spills onto the floor from a room to his right. He was about to call out, but a commotion from the room stops him. A strange groan causes his body to tense up. "...Mommy, is that you?" Saji asks as he quiets his breathing. The back of his heel thuds against the door and his body jolts. A loud thud and a clatter follow more vocalizations. Something rattles and it gets louder as it approaches the door. Saji's thinks his heart is going to jump right out of his throat when a small metal dish rolls out of the room. It swivels in circles before coming to a stop in the middle of the hall. "Mommy, are you there?" His eyes start to get tight and his vision starts to blur. Saji's hands move up to his eyes to rub the dampness away. He has nowhere to go. Nowhere to hide.

'If you keep hiding, you'll be hiding your whole life, Sport,' Saji recalls his father's words. However, his attempt to bring himself a bit of confidence is fruitless. Why would he need to face anything when he can just hide and wait for it to go away? It always does anyway. A shadow moves across the light grey tile and Saji can feel his back press against the door. He pulls his action figure out of his pocket and holds it tightly in front of his chest. The room goes silent, but Saji keeps watching the rectangular glow on the floor. He crouches down and shuffles as far into the corner as he can possibly go. What was that? Was it a monster? Wait, isn't that what those doctors called that blue boy? Maybe he still needs help and those doctors took mom away again.

He doesn't understand what the big deal is. Saji rises to his feet. This is his chance to prove to his mom and those doctors that they were wrong. Saji lifts himself up from the floor and slowly approaches the room. Another shadow moves across the floor and his breathing goes shallow and quick. "If you keep hiding, you'll be hiding your whole life" He whispers his fathers words like a mantra. His feet keep moving forward despite the embarrassing urge to run back to the car. "Don't be a scaredy cat. I'll show them there is nothing to be afraid of," Saji whispers.

When he gets to the very edge of the door he crouches down. He tilts his head trying to peak into the room but only sees a metal stand resting on the floor. A clear pouch of liquid leaks onto the light bright tiles. When Saji tries to get a better look his action figure slips from his hands and clatters on the freshly waxed floor. It lands in the middle of the doorway and his fingernails dig into his legs. He hears another clatter in the room and a shot of Adrenalin tries to power his extremities. His legs ache restlessly as he tries to fight the urge to book it through the back door. The room goes quiet again.

He should take this chance to run. Nobody can catch him at recess in a game of tag, he is the fastest in his class as far as he is concerned. No, no more running, he should go in there and help. They will be best friends he knows it. Another loud noise comes from the room and Saji's legs spring into action. He stands in the doorway to see the blue creature facing the wall with his hand stretched out in front of him. 'What is he doing?' Saji ponders. A flash of light shoots out of the creatures hand and the explosion rattles the building like an earthquake. Glass rains down from the ceiling and Saji falls to the floor with his eyes clenched shut. His hands hold his ears to block out some of the noise. He rolls over and pushes himself off the floor and runs down the hall to the exit as fast as his little legs can carry him. He should have stayed in the car like his mother told him. Dang, why did she have to be right all the time...

In the lobby, Naida and Mosley brace themselves on the front desk. The alarm sounds and the sprinklers turn on. "What in hell was that!" Naida yells out. Mosley already has the phone to his ear but places it on the table. "The phone lines are dead. Isn't your little boy in the car out back!" Naida's face turns pale as a ghost. The contents of her stomach looking for an exit. "Saji," she breathes out. Mosley grabs a gun in a drawer on the counter and they race for the back. Naida body checks the pair of swinging doors that lead to the exit. She slows down at the entrance of the operating room when she sees the rubble on the floor. She tries to step over it but slips when her foot comes down on something brittle and plastic.

Naida yells out in pain when she does the splits. She rolls onto her side as Mosley comes jogging up behind her and helps her off the floor. When she gets to her feet she sees the culprit. "What is this?" Naida reaches down and picks up the broken blue toy and she can feel the blood from her legs rush to her head. "Please tell me you, or someone who works here has a child?" She knows full well this is Saji's Space Boy action figure. A mother always knows, but she looks at Mosley with desperate hope in her eyes. His sunken expression say's it all, He doesn't need to answer. "Oh my god, no." Naida hurries for the exit, Mosley doesn't stop her. Instead, he walks into the operating room knowing full well what to expect.

The entire east wall is blown open where medical supplies used to be. "Just like the news broadcast..."A door from one of the corner cupboards falls to the ground and wobbles into the alleyway. The crisp wind brushes across his face as sheets of paper dance around the room. "What have I done..." He walks through the forced exit to see Naida fall to her knees at the sight of the empty car. "No!" Her hand clasps her mouth. "It took him! That monster took my baby!" Naida's torn vocals weep out as she kneels on the wet gravel. This can't be happening. her fingers grasp at her damp locks.

"This is all my fault. If I had listened to that stranger on the road I would still have my little boy. If I had done my job as a mother Saji would be safe at home." She knew what that creature was. She should have let those doctors do it in. "This has to be a nightmare." Naida's hands run down the side of her face as a few drops of rain start to drip on her nose. A light rumble fills the sky once more. Naida rests her hands on her legs. "You made this mess," she tells to herself then pushes herself off the ground. Mosley comes to console her and reaches his hand out. "Please come inside. I can use the phone in the town hall to call for help." Naida pushes his hand away and walks quickly to her car.

She is about to grab her keys from her pocket but she feels a hand grab hers away. "Stop this! I know he's your son and you want to do everything in your power to help, but some things are better left to the professionals." Naida shoves him away. "Let me go, I have to find my son!" She opens the car door a quarter of the way but Mosley slams it shut. "Just what are you hoping to do, huh? That thing will kill you like it killed countless others. I simply can't let you go." Naida picks up on a hint of grief in his gruff voice. Mosley swallows and he tries to hold eye contact with Naida's harsh gaze. "Than what do you think it will do to my little boy? I have to try even if it kills me. I'll have nothing left if he's gone, nothing to live for. You see, I'm as good as dead if my son dies. If he isn't dead already."

Tears stain Naida's satin cheeks and her hand jerks up to brush it away with the sleeve of her coat. "Just let me go." Naru's head shakes side to side "I can't do that. You know I can't." Naida's head jerks up and her eyes widen when they meet her husbands baby blues. "Look, that monster will be dead by noon and I'll be home before sundown. So get a bottle of your favorite wine ready for us, Babe. Saji needs company, don't you think." Naru winks at her with a crooked smile. Naida shakes her head and closes her eyes. She runs her hand down her face then looks up to see the concern and confusion written on Mosley's face. "You don't seem well. Please ease my mind and come with me. I wouldn't feel right letting you go alone."

Naida's hand clutches the car door handle as Mosley waits impatiently for her to come to her senses. "You don't even know me," Naida's voice was soft as silk. "I don't have too." Her head turns to him and she looks into his compassionate eyes for a moment. A rush of guilt washes over her. "You're a good man, Dr. Mosley. But, what good are the police when the elite military wasn't even enough. I know I'm only one person, but he's my son. I got us into this mess and I'm going to be the one who gets us out of it." Naida rushes into Mosley and checks him with her shoulder. As she does so she grabs the gun from his coat pocket. She turns off the safety and cocks the gun like Naru had shown her. Mosley stares down the barrel of the gun and slowly raises his hands in the air.

"Alright, alright. I won't fight you." He backs away and Naida opens the car door with her free hand. "Back up more." Mosley complies with her wishes and walks back towards the building. Naida spins around and gets into the car. She closes the door and her hand jerks to the locking mechanism. When it clicks twice she feels satisfied enough to put the gun on the seat next to her. She rolls the window down and looks at Mosley. "I'm sorry!" she yells out of the car window. When she fails to find more words to express her remorse she puts the car in drive and steps on the gas. Mosley stares at her car as it speeds down the back lane. He watches the cloud of dust get carried off by the wind then looks up at the night sky.

"Kami help her..."


	3. Chapter 3

.

Nature vs Nurture

Chapter 3

The thunder rolls and sparks of lightning crawl across the sky in the distance. Smokey clouds wisp into the valley and over mountains that loom above the town below. They disappear in a dream-like haze while another wave of rain follows a little boy running down the middle of a street. His feet clap down on the wet pavement as he races the deluge hot on his heels. "He can fly?" Saji inquires with excitement as he grins from ear to ear. He had been frightened earlier when the mysterious boy shot lightning from his hands and blew up the back wall of the Vet. But, when Saji burst through the back door and saw him take flight he knew he had to be right. He is so much like Space Boy. "Mom did it," the young boy beams.

Saji watches the small blue figure in the sky as it moves quickly above the buildings. His little legs can't seem to move fast enough as he tries to keep pace with the boy. Saji almost loses him through the cover of the rain but catches sight of him flying over the road. He starts to descend quickly to the street below. Saji hears a crash when the boy bounces off the roof of a vehicle. The little boy hears him thud on the sidewalk behind some parked cars, so he runs off the road and onto the sidewalk to see what was the matter. He sees the mysterious being a few blocks away laying face down on the brick walkway. Soaked awnings that embellish a bakery window, shield the beaten figure from the rain.

Red and blue lights flash in the reflection of the shop windows. A jolt of fear makes Saji jump behind the tire of a car parked on the side of the street. He looks under the car to see the wheels of another vehicle roll by slowly. It stops in front of the bakery and Saji's arms squeeze his legs. "No, don't take him." The lights strobe on the face of the buildings as it sits on the road. "What are they doing?" Saji wonders. The siren "whoops" twice then the car rolls forward and continues on its path. The little boy breathes a sigh of relief as he watches the lights fade away. When he stands up, the boy starts to move. The four-year-old springs behind the rear of the vehicle and peaks around the tail light.

He watches the boy struggle to his feet. Who reaches a shaky hand and grabs the edge of the bakery window to pull himself up. Saji watches curiously while the strange boy braces himself on the brick ledge. The insect-like-being examines his reflection in the window, but his head jerks in the four-year-old's direction. Saji flinches in surprise and falls back onto his butt. "Oh no, did he see me?" The little boy remains frozen in place. If he comes over here what should he say? He hadn't thought of that. What does he hope to accomplish by following him? He looks lost. Maybe he needs help finding his way. "But how can I help?" Saji ponders out loud. He didn't even know where he was.

Perhaps his mother knows. "Uh oh." Saji groans, as he remembers the promise he made to her. She's going to be livid with him. He promised her he would stay in the car. "I'm going to be grounded for a month," Saji whispers. He adjusts himself into a kneeling position the looks around the tail light again. The boy is nowhere to be seen. "Where did he go?" Saji sees a bit of movement through the rain. The blue boy is making his way down the sidewalk slowly while using the buildings as a crutch. "There." Saji smiles. He creeps out from behind the car and sneaks to the next one and ducks behind it. Saji musters up a bit of courage and steps out of hiding.

The boy is standing still, slouched against one of the buildings. "He's still hurt." Saji feels a spark of empathy. The boy looks over his shoulder and the sneaky youngster is overcome with anxiety. All his muscles tense up. They stare at each other for a few moments. To Saji, it feels like an eternity. The being shakes off, opens his wings and takes flight. Saji watches in awe as the boy descends above and crack of lightning lights up the hazy sky. "Wait!" Saji yells out as he bursts forward in pursuit. The blue figure moves too quickly for him to keep up, but he still chases after him. However, the boy drops down from the sky, stopping just before the ground. He flies low until they come to a three-way intersection.

Saji swallows hard as he looks at a forest of looming pine trees guarding the entrance to an ancient forest. The boy lands across the street and holds onto a pole belonging to a bus stop, then looks over his shoulder at Saji again. Before the little boy has time to react the being gets up and walks towards the forest. "Why is he running away?" Little Saji looks both ways and crosses the street while the creature disappears into the trees. He runs to catch up but stops when he gets to the tree line. "Maybe he wants me to follow him?" Saji says as he looks back at the town. The streetlights emit a glow, creating a dome over the urban area.

He knows full well his mother would not want him to follow this boy into the forest. But, Saji simply cannot resist the urge. If the blue boy can go into the forest than why can't he? His boots suction to the mud beneath his feet and he has to use his hands to keep his boot on when he lifts his leg. Broken ferns and other disturbed flora mark the boy's path. The wet plants rub on Saji's grey jogging pants and the cold water seeps through. The little boy shivers in response while following the purple stains on the leaves that reassures him. He trudges through the vegetation and large drops of rain hit his red hood. "Please don't be mad, mom..."

.

Back in town, the rumble of a sick engine can be heard racing up and down various streets. The raspy motor billows hot air into the cab of the car, overcoming the cool breeze flowing through the window. Naida's hand grabs her coat and rips it off her body. "This is a nightmare. No, hitting that creature was a nightmare, this is much worse. What's worse than a nightmare, a tragedy? No tragedies end badly, this isn't Hamlet." Naida wines to herself. "I should never have left him alone in the car. He's a child, what did I really expect. You know what he's like." She leans out the car window and uses the last of her voice. "Saji!" Naida's hand moves up to her sore throat.

"Where could he have gone this quickly? He's a four-year-old boy, not a greyhound? He couldn't have gone this far." The car engine starts to rattle and the engine gives out. "Not now!" She screams in hysteria. Her hands bang on the steering wheel as the car coasts along. Naida directs it to the side of the street, then grabs the keys and revs the engine. Nothing, not even a sound. "No, no, no!" Naida screams out with all the air left in her lungs, then she presses her head to the steering wheel. "Why is this happening to me? What have I done to deserve this? Tell me, please..." Naida's hand grasps the door handle and she lethargically pushes it open.

She lifts her heavy head off the wheel and pulls her keys out of the ignition. Her coat catches on the drive shift as she drags it off the passenger seat, so she yanks it out. When Naida steps out she tries to put her right arm in the sleeve, but it's inside out and she has the fix it. "Oh, Come on..." She moans, as she forces her arm into it. She zips up the jacket and runs down the street. "Saji!" Her aching vocal cords barely screech out. A cop car rolls into view and Naida sprints on to the sidewalk, hiding in an alcove of a building. "That was too close." The spinning lights on top of the car inch closer so Naida crouches down as it coasts by. When the lights disappear she hurries down the sidewalk.

"Where should I go?" Naida stops at an intersection and looks both ways, then throws her hands up in the air. "They could have gone anywhere by now. They might not be in town anymore." Heck, for all she knows Saji's dead. Naida's legs feel like a newborn calf's as she jogs down the street. "Why would you think such a thing?" She stops at another four-way intersection to catch her breath. Two small shiny orbs flicker under a car to her left. She squints her eyes and a twinge of hope embraces her. But, a small dark animal crawls out from under the car. It hunches on the sidewalk under a green canopy. A cat, not Saji. She sighs and her stomach flip-flops.

"I should just keep looking. It doesn't matter if I'm going the wrong way." Naida turns to her left and crosses the intersection. "You can't get anywhere standing still," she repeats her own mother's words to herself. She heard them a thousand times growing up. It used to annoy the hell out of her, but now she wishes she could hear her mother say those words again. It's funny how that works. Here yesterday, gone tomorrow. Now she would give anything to have her call multiple times a week with baby advice or to hear her complaints about Naru. Her mother was into cooking all kinds of strange things, disgusting things. Naida thinks of the time she accidentally ate organic pot scrubbers and a smile forms on her face.

When she gets to the green awnings she stops to shield herself from the rain. It isn't coming down as hard but it's frigid. It feels like ice water. "Where did that cat go?" Was there even a cat? Or is she seeing things now? Naida wonders. She tries to look through the downpour but the sneaky assassin is nowhere to be seen. "It must be frozen. Poor thing..." She shivers as she watches the rainwater stream off the awnings and patter on the cement brick walkway until a bit of movement catches the corner of her eye. She looks through the glass window of the building, but it's quite dark. Her eyes fall on a small dark mass.

Sitting on the counter inside is a black cat. It's tail waves back and forward as it watches Naida who is starring back mystified. "How did you get in there?" Is it even the same cat? She looks at the fancy calligraphy on the main window of the business. "The Black Cat Bakery." When Naida looks back up she sees the two green orbs still watching. It blinks with one eye and it almost looks like a wink, then it jumps down and dissolves into the dark. "An old fashion bakery," Naida whispers. She looks at the pastries in the window and notices a dark smudge on its surface. Naida wipes the smear and brings it closer to her face. Her eyes widen when she sees the purple hue.

The mother frantically looks all around. "Saji!" she screams out into the night. Naida winces and her hand grabs her throat. She looks on the sidewalk to see a few specs of blood and follows them but they are no longer protected from the canopy. They were washed away by the rain. Naida looks at the wall and starts jogging. "Saji!" She chokes out again. Maybe she should have waited for the cops? Maybe they already found him? She tries to convince herself, but she knows this isn't true, she just has a feeling, a mother's instinct perhaps? However, this time Naida hopes she is wrong. Her jog turns into a run and her run into a sprint. She hits a three-way and runs onto the road and spins around in all directions. "Saaajjjiii!" Her voice no matter how hard she screams is dampened by the rain.

"He won't hear you," Naida says to herself while she closes her eyes for a moment. She raises her head and submits to the rain. The water pellets run down her face. Each drop of fresh water hydrate her dry cold lips. They roll off her chin and tumble onto her jacket. Naida begins to look down each street in hope that she will catch a glimpse of her little boy's red coat. No one is around and that cop car is nowhere in sight. Are they still looking? They didn't seem like they were in a hurry. Naida's arms drop to her side and she walks over to a lone bus bench. The mother winces as she bends her knees to sit. Her whole body prickles from the cold. The clothes on her body cling to her like wet seaweed.

A burst of nausea pulls Naida off the bench when what's left of her supper leave her stomach and empties onto the street. She groans while she grips the pavement on all fours. "What was that?" Naida says and presses her hand to her forehead. She spits then tries to gather herself off the ground. She can feel another rush of sickness so she runs over to the padded grass and dry heaves. A sharp pain stabs in her stomach when all she can bring up are bubbles. Her hand grabs her tummy and she rolls onto the wet grass. The rain taps on her weak shaky body as she stares up into the empty dark. "Why don't you give up? You're tired, aren't you?...So tired." Naida rolls onto her side facing the bench.

She watches the water drops drip off the seat until her eyes focus on the pole of the bus-stop sign. She props herself up on her arm and looks at the purple liquid running down the rod. It disappears into the grass. Naida pulls herself to her feet and touches the pole. When she does so she notices a water-filled footprint in the mud at the edge of the boulevard. "Saji was here." Her head twitches in the direction of the woods and her heart starts to pound feverishly in her chest. "No." Naida shoves her hand into her pocket and when she feels the cold metal of the gun she hurries to the tree line. The sound of a siren startles her and she turns around. One cop steps out of their car across the street.

"Ma'am, can you step over here for a moment?" A female police officer shouts at Naida with her hand on her gun. Another police car pulls up. This is not what she needs right now. Naida turns around and steps towards the trees. "Hold it, we need you to come over here, ma'am." Naida's heart beats a million miles a second. She stops in her tracks. What is she doing? She has to find Saji. She can't be hauled off to some police station. No, she has to hurry. Naida runs for the tree line and doesn't look back. "Hey!" the police officer yells and she jogs after her. When Naida reaches the edge of the forest she can see a muddled path and some more prints. Naida ignores her nauseous stomach and runs into the brush. "Saji, I'm coming!"

.

"Are you sure you didn't see the car she drove, Mosley?" Says a surly law officer. The older man fiddles with a piece of paper in his fingers. "Yes. I-I'm sure, Officer Karasu." The cop sighs and shakes his head. "Well, there's not much we can do if we don't know who or what we're looking for, exactly." Karasu walks over to his partner checking the rubble for clues, "and you didn't get a good look at the little boy who ran away either, right?" Mosley shakes his head back and forward. "No, he didn't come in with her." The two cops look at each other with mistrustful expressions. "Right. Well, we will do a few rounds and see if we can come up with anything."

Mosley follows them through the office to see them off. When they exit through the main entrance, they say something to a female officer taking a smoke break and she nods in return. They get into their car and Mosley watches them while he taps his foot. He makes eye contact with the female officer leaning on her vehicle, but she turns her head away. The others drive off siren flickering while she takes a puff of her cigarette. She drops it under her foot and looks at Mosley behind the two glass doors. He raises his hand to wave, but she just turns around and gets into her police car. The siren turns on and he watches her drive off. Mosley rolls his eyes and a deep sigh leaves his mouth.

The rain had lightened since Naida drove off to find Saji. To any tourist, the weather would seem odd. In fact, many would-be hikers never returned from their trip. Despite countless efforts to educate them about the sporadic changes, there was always a few each year that would go missing. Search parties would head out into the woods, but most would come up empty-handed. One would think the statistics would deter people, but it did the exact opposite. Heck, even experienced long time hikers would succumb to the elements from time to time. It was mostly the odd meathead who worried the park rangers. They were usually in search of a temporary fix for their seething insecurity, but there are better ways to prove oneself.

Mosley returns to the back area and looks at the destruction of his operating room. "I hope my insurance will cover this." He groans. He shuffles through the rubble and looks where Naida's car use to be. He couldn't bring himself to convict the desperate mother who mere moments ago pointed a gun at him. Mosley leaves the room and walks into his office, then flops into a brown leather chair behind his desk. His hand reaches for a photograph of a young man in an orange uniform. He reclines in his chair and runs his fingers through his beard. "...I understand." his lids close to resist the sharp sting in his eyes. Mosley clears his throat and places the photo on his desk face down.

He should have gone in his car to help Naida look. No, why should he have to? He did enough, right? "...I think not," Mosley grumbles in earnest. He should have put the poison in the fluid, but he couldn't do that either. Not for her, not even for his own son. He can't bring himself to look into the eyes of the young man in the photograph. Kami knows he prayed for that thing to die on its own, but no amount of wishing or wanting would change what happened here. It won't fix his mistake. He chuckles and shakes his head. "You had one chance Mosley and you blew it." He thumps his fist down on the desk. 'All life is precious.' He repeats the words of his grandfather. "No, no it is not."

What a ridiculous saying, Mosley thinks to himself. It was the main reason he chose his profession. Same as his forefathers before him. He was young and full of purpose once. But now as the years bare down on him he is starting to wonder how he did it. How he woke up every morning like the sun rising in the east. The sun doesn't wonder why it does what it does, it just does it. Just like that little boy. "Just stay out of it, Mosley." He gets up out of his chair and straightens out his back. His spine pops and cracks. He hobbles over to the office window now dotted with rain. But no new drops form.

"Snow..."

.

"Yuck." the little boy complains as he wipes his muddy hands on his pants. Moms going to be mad when she sees how dirty he's gotten. How long has it been? It feels like he's been walking around for days. His jaw stretches wide open into a yawn and he breathes out. "How far did he go?" It's been far too long since the last time he saw any sight of the boy. The forest is quite dark, he can barely see where he is going. He plops on a moss covered rock and tries to remember what his dad told him about wilderness survival. Something about shelter from the elements and moss on trees. Some stuff on cloud formations. The little boy's jaw pops as he yawns even bigger than before.

He stares unblinkingly into the thick vegetation. The trees crack and wain as the storm pushes the tall pines about. Large droplets of water tumble down below. The thundering sound of the rain pelting the earth is replaced by silence. Saji picks at the lichen on the rock and throws the pieces on the ground. They fall on to the cottony-blanket of moss gracing the forest floor, which makes it soft and spongy to walk on. It would make a great bed, Saji thinks as another jaw-breaking yawn flares up. Normally, he doesn't care for the dark but he's too tired to feel much of anything. Saji pinches his arm. Nothing. He pinches it again. Nothing.

"Whats that?" He exclaims out loud. A bit of blue peeking up from the foliage stands out in the dark and Saji wonders how he even missed it in the first place. He walks over to the mound bristling with curiosity. When he's standing over the object he bends down to get a closer look. It's blue with dark spots, just like the creature. What looks to be an arm sticks up out of the ferns and Saji flinches away. He stands up and pushes it with his foot. It feels light as a feather. The shell casing rolls over to reveal a split down the middle. "Weird..." It looks like something burst out of the blue boy. Was he hollow? Saji wonders.

This feels very strange to him. He has never experienced anything quite like this, or has he? When it doesn't move he feels along the ground for a stick. When he finds a good one he prods at the casing. "Hello?" It doesn't answer. This can't be right? He's seen this before, hasn't he? Yes, he has. He thinks back on the time he went fishing with his dad and scooped up a giant water beetle in their fishing net. They brought it home in a leaky bucket. Saji kept it in a large jar on the balcony of their apartment complex. The water was pretty murky, so sometimes he had to look really hard to see the aquatic insect inside. It would usually hang upside down just above the surface. His dad told him it could breathe from its butt.

He called it Mikio, for the three trees that stood along the lakeshore. His mom might have helped him name it. On the weekends Saji's dad would take him to a big field with tall grass. They would catch grasshoppers together and bring them home for Mikio to eat. His mom would come along reluctantly, she didn't much care for catching bugs. Sometimes dad would sneak one into the hood of her coat and mom would shriek and leap around trying to get her jacket off. When Mikio ate enough food he would shed his skin from time to time. It would look like two beetles lived in the jar. It was confusing for Saji at first, but he would just tell himself there was only one in there. "Excoseleton, Esoseloton, exeoskeletoon?"

A warm wind blows over the curious youngster. It brings a brief spell of relief from the cool. He shivers in response. The warm air hits him again and a deep rumbling growl causes every hair on his body to raise off his skin. Saji slowly turns around to see two pairs of nostrils in front of him. A burst of air with flecks of warm sticky fluid hits his face. The beast rises up and up and up until it towers twenty feet above him. Run. A voice says within the little boy. The monstrous animal releases a booming roar that reveals its fifty jagged teeth. The thundering noise nearly breaks Saji's eardrums. Run! He jumps to his feet and darts into the thicket as fast as his legs can carry him.

It takes seconds for Saji to hear the crashing of its footsteps as it gives chase. Each one shakes the ground beneath his feet while he clambers over rocks and uneven turf. When Saji's boot hits a root jutting out he hits the ground face first. He tries desperately to wipe the dirt and mud out of his eyes as the monster comes upon him. He spins around to see the gigantic lizard ram into a pair of trees, wedging itself. It stretches out its neck and snaps its jaws down like a crocodile, it's teeth inches away from Saji's rubber boots. He spins around and claws his way up a large slippery slope. His boots kick out from underneath him as he tries to get traction in the mud.

The trees behind him snap and crack as the twenty-foot dinosaur tries to break free. It snarls and snaps at the little boy scrambling up the slope. He loses one of his boots in the process. When the dinosaur breaks free it tumbles headfirst into the incline causing Saji to fall back onto the lizard's snout. Two deranged bloodshot eyes leer down its broad nose at Saji. Each eyeball larger than the young boys head. The dinosaur rears up and the boy slides down the ridges on its back, teeth clattering. When his feet hit the ground he rolls on his back then springs to his feet. He can hear the giant lizard behind him thrashing as it tries to get up. He doesn't stick around to find out if it succeeds. Limbs from bushes smack into his body as he zips through the forest.

Saji crashes into a hard surface and lands on his butt. Did he hit a tree? A rock? What? He thinks as he holds his bloody nose. He looks up at the blue and black figure peering down at him. Saji scrambles to his feet and stares at the being through the dark of the forest. He can barely focus his blurry eyes, but when his vision normalizes the beings hand is stretched out before him. Saji looks into the boy's deadpan eyes, but he doesn't understand the gesture. Does he want a high five? The ground rumbles underneath Saji's feet but he can't look away from the boy's sharp pink hues. A bright ball of light forms in the kid's hand and Saji's arm raises up quickly to shield his eyes. Wait, isn't this what it did earlier?

Before he can act, the ball of energy zips past Saji's head. His hand jerks to his ear. "Owe!" Saji cries out as he falls down onto the mossy forest floor. The soft skin of his ear stings tremendously. A dark shadow blocks out the moon and the child turns onto his back to see the seven thousand pound animal falling towards him. His whole body tenses up when it stops inches away from crushing him. Drool slips out of the lizard's mouth like a gooey string of melted cheese and lands on Saji's fear-stricken face. His little legs kick himself out from under the animal and he sees the small alien holding it up with one arm. His gaze is fixed on Saji as he lets the gargantuan animal drop to the ground.

When the earth stops shaking the blue alien walks towards the trembling child. Saji turns around and runs off, but isn't this what he wanted? This is what he's been waiting for, so why is he running away? He is too young to understand his own fear. Years from now he might be able to look back and understand his primitive reaction, but today is not that day. His legs move without their commander's consent. Saji nearly chokes on his breath as he struggles to control the rate his lungs take in air. He can barely contain his small heart rattling in his chest. The throbbing in his ear feels like it will jump right off his skull. If he was tired he's certainly not anymore.

"BOO!"

A white face emerges in the darkness and Saji trips over a log and hits his head on the ground. The being flips down from the limb of a tree and lands grasping his stomach and laughing hysterically. He points at bewildered Saji. "Scared you!" He continues to chortle, then crouches behind the fallen tree and rests his head in his hands, smiling. When Saji does nothing the expression on the boys turns into a blank canvas. They stare at each other in silence. The moon shines off of his pearly skin emphasizing the dark markings on the side of his face. Saji waits for him to make a move. But the boy just stares at the child with a deadpan look. Saji didn't know what to think of this kid or what to feel. This boy's reactions seem strange. Like something is off or unnatural.

A single snowflake floats down and lands softly on the creatures snipe nose. A shiver crawls up Saji's spine. He slowly scoots away, then stands up and the blue boy rises in unison. He looks the mysterious being up an down and notices all the injuries he had before are gone. Is there more than one? Saji scratches his head. He remembers the shell in the woods. No, just one. He corrects himself when he thinks of the water beetle. "Why are you following me?" the blue boy says in a serious manner yet he smiles. Saji wipes the dinosaur slobber off his face, then answers. "I-I thought you were someone else." the little one's voice shakes. "Someone else?" asks the boy. Saji stares back with tense muscles. Should he tell him? "Umm...Space boy." Saji chokes out as he reaches into his pocket for his toy.

Empty.

"Oh no! I lost it!" Saji starts checking all his pockets feverishly. He has a bunch at home but this one was his favorite. It was a good one. It had all the details and everything. Some of them had wonky faces, missing details, or were painted a wrong shade of blue, but not his favorite one. It was really something special. "What's a Space Boy?" The creature asks with a hint of wonder. Saji sighs, then he looks at the individual standing in front of him. "He's a hero. He fights bad guys and can go into outer space with his Astral Suit." Saji exclaims. He can talk about Space Boy for hours. "This one time he even saved the whole earth from an asteroid with his buster cannons." He aims his arm at the sky fist clenched. "Blam."

His arm returns to his side. "Are you sure your not him?" The blue boy puts his hands on his hips. "I don't know? Do I look like him?" Saji examines the mysterious person standing before him and traces his chin with his fingers. He looks a lot like space boy, with a few differences. "I don't know, maybe? You kinda look like him. Space boy's suit doesn't have spots like yours does. His face is white, but he doesn't have the same markings." The creature watches the little boy circle around him like the earth revolving around the sun. "He has wings that come out of his back when he needs them, but they don't look like yours." The blue boy shakes his head back and forward in disagreement. "I'm not wearing a suit."

Saji raises a brow. "Are you sure?" The boy nods in response. Seeing the look of disbelief on Saji's face, he demonstrates by pushing up on his head crest. "See." When that doesn't work he bends down into a bowing position. Saji stares at the boy and blinks. When the four-year-old makes no move the boy points to his head crest. "Go ahead try." Saji hesitates but reaches out and grabs at the helmet. He pulls really hard. His hardest even, but it stays fixed to the boys head. Saji's fingers slip off and he falls back onto his bum. "Told you." the boy exclaims. Saji sighs and gets to his feet. Dang, he thought for sure. "What's your name?" The blue boy tilts his head and smiles gleefully. "No name."

Saji raises his eyebrow. Is this kid serious? "You don't have a name?" Saji didn't need a response to know the answer. "...If your not space boy and you don't have a name, then what are you?" The boy thinks for a minute. "I don't know? What are you?" Saji feels taken back by the question. "What am I?" he points to himself. The creature nods in response. He had never thought of that. He had never even thought to ask. 'What am I?' Saji thinks inwardly as he scratches his head. "A boy I guess," he says as he shrugs his shoulders. "Am I a boy, too?" The creature asks with peculiarity on the end of his lips."Maybe, you look like a boy."

He looked like space boy too, but he wasn't right about that. Maybe he shouldn't trust his own judgment. He knows the differences between boys and girls but he isn't about to ask for proof. "Do you want to be friends?" Saji watches the blue boy who jumps back into the tree, then hangs upside down. "What's a friend?" He never had to explain this to anyone before. In fact, he isn't too sure himself. "A friend is someone you play games with. Like tag or hide and seek. Sometimes you get to play with their toys too." Yup, that will do. The blue boy flips down from the tree and smiles at Saji. "Okay." Saji's face lights up and his hand shoots into his pocket. "Do you want some of my candy?"

Saji pulls the plastic crinkled bag out and shakes a few candies into his hand. "It's my favorite. Here." Saji's says as he thrusts his hand forward. The moonlight spills onto the colorful pebbles and they glitter like a pot of gold. The blue boy takes one of the moon-kissed treats and holds it up to his eye, then looks at Saji waiting for direction. "You eat it. Like this." He places a yellow candy in his mouth and bites down on the chewy treat and smiles. The boy mimics Saji's movements while holding eye contact and smiles just as he did. When the sweet particles dissolve on his tongue his eyes open wide and his pastel eyes sparkle like the night sky. He swallows the treat and balls his fists in excitement. "More candy!"

Saji's brows scrunch together and he shakes his head back and forward. The blue boy ignores the youngster's protest and snatches the rest of the sweets out of his hand. Saji didn't even see the boy move and stares perplexedly. "Hey!" Saji shouts. The boy dumps all the candy into his mouth and springs into the air. "Yummy!" he yells out in glee while he does a barrel roll. He then hovers upside down in front of Saji and holds his hand out. "More!" Saji's baby blue eyes water and his bottom lip starts to quiver. "There isn't anymore," He wipes his eyes with his sleeve. "More!" The boy yells at Saji in a demanding tone. The four-year-olds whole face crumples up. He jumps to his feet as he erupts like a volcano."There isn't anymore, you ate them all!"

In a fit of frustration, the blue boy grabs Saji's feet and drags him into the air. "Ah! What are you doing!" Saji growls. The blue boy proceeds to shake him like a bully from an old cartoon looking for lunch money. "Stop it!" The insect-like boy looks down at Saji's red face. "Put me down!" The boy releases his grip and Saji falls to the soft forest floor. "Oof." He sits up, then wipes the snot and dried blood from his cold nose on his sleeve. He looks at the boy hovering above him with a grin stretched across its face like a Cheshire cat. "You're not very nice..." Saji grumbles. The blue boy's cheeky grin dissolves away when his eyes meet Saji's pouty one.

"I don't think I want to be your friend." The human child stands up, brushes himself off, and stomps off into the woods. He walks into the boy blocking his path, then looks behind himself in bewilderment. All he did was blink, and this kid appeared in front of him like a flash of lightning? "Where are you going?" The blue boy says curiously. Saji frowns not wanting to answer, but the boy holds his gaze and it makes him squirm. "To find my mom," Saji says reluctantly. "What's a mom?" Here we go again, now he has to explain what a mom is? How is he supposed to know? He's only four. Well, almost five? "You don't know a lot of things do you?"

The blue boy grins at Saji. "Someone who takes care of you. Feeds you. Baths you, and reads you stories..." The four-year-old continues to list things, but the boy cuts him off. "So a servant?" he says with an impish twinkle in his eye. Now he's the one who needs to ask questions. What's servant? He's never heard that word before. "I don't know, maybe?" Saji walks around the boy slowly and continues on his path. He can hear the crunching of sticks and other plants behind him. He turns around. "Stop following me," Saji says in a demanding voice then turns around and continues on his way. He can hear more snapping and he wipes around again. The words 'go away' stick to the tip of his tongue when he sees no one is there.

Saji slowly turns around, bracing himself for a scare, but the blue boy is not there this time. Finally. The little boy thinks and walks on. He comes upon the body of the dinosaur and a joyous laugh erupts behind him. Saji turns around. "What so funny?" he yells out with his eyebrows pushed together as far as they will go. "You're lost, you're lost, you're lost." The boy teases repeatedly and titters some more. "Stop laughing, I am not!" Saji's blood rushes to his head. "Yes you are, so you're probably going to die." A crooked grin emerges on the blue boys face. Die? Dying means you go away. You can always come back when you go away, right? Just like when Nan and Pop come to visit. They go away but they are still here.

He's not so sure about that. Dad still hasn't come back. Saji shivers. Snowflakes dust the ground and foliage. The tiny ice crystals sparkle in the light of the moon. He looks at his smokey breath, then his eyes refocus on the giggling imp. The blue boy's expression turns blank again when Saji doesn't respond to his antagonizing. "My dad died," Saji whispers. The two stare at each other. The cold nips at his nose as they stand in silence. The forest is quiet. No crickets, no owls, just pure unadulterated silence. Saji is used to the sound of the cars and sirens in the city, so the silence was like honey to his ears. "Mine did too." The break in silence was almost jarring. The blue boy remains still. In fact, he could be mistaken for a statue.

His dad died too? Maybe he really needs a friend? He doesn't seem to know how this friendship thing works, though. He's kind of mean and he's kind of weird and a bit unpredictable. Maybe he can show him how to be friends? A little lesson on how to be nice might go a long way, too. Ho, hum. "Hey, I know where we can get more of that candy," Saji says cheerfully. The blue boy's eyes light up with desire for the glimmering spheres of goodness. "Where?" Saji brushes the snow resting on his shoulders and hood, then answers. "I never went there by myself, tho-." Before Saji can finish his sentence, the boy picks him up from under his arms and blasts into the night sky.

* * *

Thanks for reading!

Also, thank you to those who kindly reviewed the previous chapters :).

Cheers!


	4. Chapter 4

.

Nature vs Nurture

Chapter 4

What had once came down as rain has now turned into crystals. They float down and cling to Naida's messy curls and long lashes. A bitterly cold breeze envelops her body until a quake of shivers erupts from the top of her head to her feet. She stares expressionlessly at the moist ground. The foliage is just starting to frost over under the cover of the trees. A light coat of snow dusts the forest floor.

There has been no sign of Saji. Not a footprint or clue to be found. She could be going in circles. She hasn't been too late so far, but there is no telling how many more times she will have luck on her side. That monster has not hurt him yet, that she hopes. If it was going to kill him, he would have done it already, right? Does anyone ever believe that nonsense? Naida stops and puts her face in her hands. She wants to cry, scream, or have some kind of reaction. Have her emotions gone dormant again? Her hands feel warm against her cold nose.

"Where could he have gone..." She whispers softly, looking side to side. The wet snow clings to her legs when she jogs through the underbrush. Naida comes to a clearing and yells for Saji. Her voice echoes off of the rocky outcrops and fades into the distance. She walks over to a snow-covered mound and sits down. "Warm?" She leaps off the surface and her hand jerks to her chest. All her hairs stand on end. She stands motionless and surveys the mound. One of her feet takes a step forward and she hesitantly brushes the snow off the mound. Grey-brown scales emerge and she jumps back and falls on her rear end.

She had not seen it before, but can now make out the dinosaur shape laying across the ground. It is so obvious now, it's shocking how she had missed it. "Is it dead?" It's still warm, but it had not moved when she sat on it. She gets to her feet and steps back. Her foot presses on something strange and she looks down. A red mangled boot. Not just any boot. It is Saji's, it's almost unrecognizable, but she knew it has to be his. He is the only little kid wandering around these woods so late at night. She picks it up and she can barely control the shaking in her hands. She looks up and her eyes fall on the t-rex's face and mouth.

Naida's heart races. She runs over to its head, but she slips on the animal's blood pooled on the forest floor. It is just starting to congeal. Her hands reach out to break her fall and a sharp pain shoots up her right arm when her limbs make contact with the ground. The dark red blood stains her pants and starts to soak through them. The pain in her arm is insurmountable. It throbs and she can barely move her fingers. Her stomach turns and her blood rushes to her face. Naida pulls herself away with the other arm and tries to get to her feet. Her face scrunches when she accidentally uses some muscles in her bad arm. A tear slips out and slides down her cheek.

"...you stupid klutz." She grumbles. With her left arm, she lightly touches the right and winces again. "Ouch, ouch, ouch." Naida's teeth press together. She braces it against her body at waist level. It starts to swell and a visible dark bruise has formed already. She picks the boot back up and notices some tracks lightly covered in the snow. She kneels down and touches them. There is more than one kind of print. Maybe there is hope? Did that monster do this? She wonders as she looks over to the dead animal. "Oh please, please be okay." She looks up at the night sky. Snowflakes tumble down and melt on her rose-tinted cheeks. Lights shine through the trees and land on Naida.

"Over here!" An unfamiliar voice shouts through the forest. Naida tries to block the bright light to protect her eyes. "Raise your hands!" A female officer shouts. Naida slowly raises one of her arms into the air. "Both of them!" The authoritative voice commands. "I-I can't. I think it's broken." Naida's voice squeaks. The anxiety in her chest brings a bit of relief, ironically. Perhaps she's not completely numb. She can't go to jail, the thought terrifies her. Why did she run away from them she should have asked for their help. Will they listen now? "Please, my son, he's missing. I can't find him anywhere." A few tears run down Naida's face, so the female officer lowers her gun. She sighs.

"Keep your hands - or hand up." She approaches Naida with caution. Is this the one they are looking for? The officer contemplates. It has to be, there is no one else out at this hour. "Do you have any weapons on you?" Naida's mouth opens than she catches herself. "...yes, I do." The officer looks at her with a brow raised. "Where?" Naida motions to the left pocket of her jacket, so the officer puts her hand in and takes the handgun the mother stole from Mosley. "For Kami's sake, your the woman that we're looking for aren't you?" She looks at Naida in disbelief. "Why did you run? We could have helped you?" Naida doesn't respond. The officer looks to her partner still holding the gun up in her direction. She motions for him to lower his guard.

"Ma'am, we have to take you back to the station." Silence. "Ma'am?" The officer crouches beside her and places a soft hand on her shoulder. "You're shaking...we will help find your son, but you have to come with us." Naida looks up at her and nods slowly. "Plus, we need to get that arm looked at." At the hospital? Naida grimaces inwardly. "Kami no, not there." Her head shakes back and forward. The officer looks perplexed than remembers the doctor that called in earlier. "Well, we need to get you out of this forest for now." She looks for her partner and does not see him. "She jumps to her feet than catches sight of him. "Pattelli, look at this." She walks over in his direction but stops in her tracks, eyes wide.

"My god, did it do this…"

 _...Saji..._

"Woooow!"

Saji yells out with joy into the damp night sky, as Cell Junior zips passed cliffs and trees. He ascends higher and higher. Saji stares mesmerized by the twinkling lights of the town below as it comes into view. "Where?" Junior asks. Saji looks up at him and meets his hard gaze. He looks back at the town trying to make sense of the blurb of lights and buildings. It is hard for him to recognize anything from up here at night. "Ummm, try down there." He points to the town in the distance. If they get closer he might be able to see something to give him some direction. Junior swoops down and rockets towards the town. Saji screams out in shock. So fast, he can barely keep his eyes open, let alone breathe.

Tear bubbles fleck out of the corners of his eyes and into the night sky. Crystals start to form on his eyelids. Saji rubs his eyes and sees the town coming towards them at an alarming rate. Just when he starts to feel dizzy their speed drops. But, not much. Juniors hands slowly release their grip on Saji until they both are airborne. His head whips in Junior's direction fists bunched. "What are you doing!" He yells at the blue imp who can't respond. A jolt of fear rushes through the youngster's body like electricity. "Oh no, Wake up! Wake up, Mikio!" He doesn't know why he used that name. It just came out, but there is no response from the blue boy.

Saji reaches out to grab him, but the wind is too strong. He flails and moves his body all kinds of ways to reach his friend. Saji inches nearer and finally grabs ahold of Junior. The boy tries to shake him "Wake up!" He yells as loud as he can. The android's eyes open up. He looks at Saji's fear-stricken face and yawns. "What are you doing! Fly you, idiot!" Junior looks casually at the ground below. "We're going to hit the ground if you don't do something!" Junior grins wickedly and grabs the little boy. He rockets towards the ground and Saji screams hysterically. He swoops just before they hit and sores back up into the night sky. Saji's sniffles. His eyes are almost popping out of his head. Junior grins from ear to ear, but Saji snaps a glare at his friend.

"Are you crazy we almost got squished!"

Feeling annoyed Saji looks back over the town and notices a familiar sight. The glowing convenience store sign breaks through the dark sky like a beacon of hope. "Pew, finally." Saji is starting to grow tired of falling victim of his friend's sense of humor, literally. "Down there!" He points at the sign in the distance and Junior bursts forward taking Saji by surprise again. "Wah! Slow down!" Junior looks down at the human boy with slight disgust. "Slow down? Why when we can get there faster?" But, the youngster didn't answer. The wind hitting his body made it hard to breathe and he is growing weak. Junior senses the drop in Saji's energy and slows down just enough to preserve his friend's consciousness.

He lands on the ground softly. But, what's soft to him is not so much to the human boy. Saji falls to the ground and wretches all over the parking lot. Junior watches with curiosity and amusement. Weird? He thinks. Than erupts with laughter. "You're funny!" Saji falls back on to his butt and looks up at Junior. He rubs his tummy and watches in bewilderment. "You're so weird..." Saji grimaces. Junior goes expressionless and silent, but Saji is used to this by now. "Where's the candy?" Junior asks again. Saji gets up and starts walking towards the convenience store. "This way."

"Hey, kids!"

Saji gets a bit frightened by the approaching drifter. "What are you doing out here by yourself -" Saji can barely make out the man's expression through his scraggly beard and long matted hair. The man stumbles back at the sight of Junior. "Y-your one of those monsters." Saji and Junior look at each other. The little red-haired boy scratches his head. "What monsters?" I mean he can be a bit of a jerk, but a monster? "Kid come with me! Quick, make a run for it!" He's making a big commotion and Saji starts to get worried the police will show up again. "It's okay, he's not a monster. He helped me." Saji tries to reason with the drifter, to no avail. "No way, you're too young to understand. That thing will eat you! It happened in Nicky Town!"

He tries to grab Saji but gets knocked to the ground by a tremendous force. The man lays motionless on the ground. Saji looks on in fear as Junior walks towards him. "What are you doing?! You can't do that?!" Saji yells in shock.

"He was annoying us."

"But, we can't hurt people…that's not allowed."

"Why?" Junior sounds genuinely curious.

"Why?" Hmm, Saji thinks hard. He isn't exactly sure why. Those are just the rules. His parents taught him that since day one. "Didn't your mom or dad teach you that?"

"No." In fact, his father encouraged it. He kicks the body, but the person doesn't respond.

"Please don't do that, he won't bother us anymore."

He didn't even have a good argument or explanation for why exactly he shouldn't. He thinks back to his days in preschool. He pulled one of his classmate's hair when she took one of his snacks. She cried and the teachers made a big deal out of it. Mom was not happy about it. His dad found something amusing and mom wasn't too pleased with him either.

His attention moves back to Junior crouching beside the unconscious man. He slowly starts to come too. Junior grins and pulls his mouth open, sticking his tongue out, and teases the frightened civilian. The drifter jumps to his feet in terror and runs off leaving the two alone. Saji sighs, how is he going to teach this kid to be nice when he can't really explain why 'nice' is so important. "When you hurt someone it makes them cry and people get mad." Junior stops laughing at the man running away and looks at Saji. How does he explain why that is so important?

"And…." Saji thinks really hard, but the thought leaves his head. Dang, he had something. Something important. If Mom was here she could probably explain it.

Junior yawns really big and it makes Saji sleepy too. His jaw stretches open and he rubs his eyes. "Oh never mind…" The young boy leads the way to the storefront. When a cat crosses their path, it leaps in the air, hissing at Junior. "Boy, even animals don't like you…" The android mimics the cat and it tears off into the night. "Let's just get inside, before you do anything else." As they approach the big glass doors, Saji stops in his tracks. "Oh no, you might frighten the shopkeeper…" Maybe if he covers him up they won't be so afraid.

"I know!"

Saji takes his hoodie off and hands it to Junior. "Put it on. Then you will look like me and they won't freak out." But, he liked when they got frightened. Oh well, he will humor him. Junior does as told and slips Saji's red hoodie over his head. The little boy looks over the blue imp. No good, his legs are visible. Saji looks at his own pants. "Here, take this too." He removes his grey jogging pants and hands them to Junior. He puts them on. "There!" Saji smiles. Junior's wings stick out from under the hoodie a bit and it looks a little unnatural, but it will do. The cold wind nips at Saji's bare legs and arms as he stands outside in nothing but his t-shirt and underpants. "Burrr!" he wraps his arms around his body and shivers, "Let's get inside." Junior follows Saji into the building.

Light jazzy music plays and the warm air of the building bring instant relief. Junior looks unfazed. The cashier is nowhere to be seen. Good, Saji thinks. He looks to his left and his friend is gone. Saji looks around in a panic, but the tall shelves filled with merchandise block his view. "Hey, where did you go!" He whispers as loudly as he can without drawing too much attention to himself. "Hey, kid!" Well, so much for that. Saji hunches his shoulders and looks at the shopkeeper rushing over to him in shock and concern. "Where are your parents? You must be freezing!" The young man runs out of the store and looks around.

It isn't every day a half-naked kid walks into a gas station convenience store, surely his parents are nearby. Saji takes his chance to check down the aisle for Junior. "Where are you?" He jogs past each aisle than finally locates him down the magazine section. He runs over to the android with relief. "We have to go their -, what are you doing?" Junior smiles revealing his perfect white teeth. He looks at his alien friend with a sucker in his mouth, a bunch of candy in his pockets, and a magazine that read busty beauties.

"You can get in trouble grabbing all this stuff." The front door bings when it opens. "Hey, kid, where did you go?!" Saji pushes Junior down the aisle "We have to go. We will get in trouble if they catch you with all this!" Junior doesn't resist and they round the corner of the aisle. He spots the bathroom and tries to drag him to it, but loses his grip. He looks back at his friend trying on a pair of sunglasses, but they slide off his face and clack on the tiled floor. "We have to go, what are you doing!" the little boy hisses. He decides not to bother and grabs the glasses then proceeds to push Junior into the washroom. He lets the door close then locks the door.

Junior could care less. He is content with all the candy he collected. He flops on the floor and stuffs his face full of more sugar. "Stop it. We're going to get in trouble, you didn't pay for that." Saji says somberly.

"Pay?"

"Yeah we have to use Zeni or that's stealing." Saji looks on with concern.

Junior opens the magazine, ignoring Saji. Stealing is bad, scaring people is bad, doing what you want is bad...boring. He turns it upside down and sideways as he looks at the pictures. Saji sighs and flops on the floor and watches his friend flip through the pages with no expression. He can hear the man outside the door calling out for him. "Maybe…" Junior watches Saji raise to his feet. "...I can distract him and you leave out the front door."

Junior gets up and nods as he stuffs the magazine down his hoodie. Now we're talking. "But, you have to leave that stuff here." Nope, Junior's smile turns into a frown with a degree of menace. He shakes his head slowly. "We have to, or we will get in more trouble than we already are." Junior continues to frown at Saji. "Please, we can get more candy later. When we find my mom, she can pay for it. I have more of that candy you like at home too, be reasonable." Reasonable? What's in it for me exactly, Junior ponders. "No."

"But we can get more," Saji grumbles.

"No," Junior says again as he pulls out a small carton.

He sits down and pulls out one of the slender paper sticks. "Those are cigarettes," Saji says, "they're bad for you."

Junior rolls his eyes than smells it. His face scrunches up in disgust. Weird, he thinks to himself. He bites down on it and shivers "Yuck!" Okay, maybe the boy was right this time. Junior opens a pack of gum and dumps the whole thing in his mouth. Saji takes the chance to grab the carton of cigarettes out of his hands and dumps them into the toilet. He pulls the lever and they both watch them swirl around. Good riddance. The water rises higher and higher and one cigarette floats to the top. "It's clogged," Saji says.

A loud smash causes the little boy to almost leap out of his skin. He turns to Junior blowing bubbles and looking inside the back of the toilet. Saji's hand's jerk to his head grasping his red locks "Ahh!, don't do that, he will hear us." Junior looks at Saji than the door. The gum pops all over his face as the man pounds on the bathroom door. "Hey, kids? open up...please."

"He heard us." Water wets Saji's socked feet. He looks at the toilet, but he's not there. Then over to the taps. "No!" The taps are on full blast and Junior is trying to get the sticky tar-like substance off with little success. "You're flooding the floor!" Saji runs over to turn them off but he is too short. All he can do is watch helplessly as water rains down from the lip on the sink and spatters on the dull bathroom floor.

Junior jumps down with an 'aha' expression on his face. He picks up his sunglasses and sticks the gum to both sides of his ears. Then, places the glasses on his face while pressing the two prongs into the gum. He flies over to the mirror and laughs victoriously, with a big grin across his face. Saji groans as he looks at the mess the imp caused. Broken bits of candy and wrappers float in the puddle forming into the middle of the floor. The toilet lid lay smashed next to the toilet bowl. "Boy, you are good at making a mess." The toilet bowl is filled to the brim with water and a few cigarettes float at the top. I guess he helped with that one.

The doorknob starts to turn as the shopkeeper uses his keys to unlock the door. Saji looks at Junior standing with his hands on his hips still grinning. Saji's eyes narrow into a bitterly. "This is all your fault." The door opens and the man stares in disbelief at the two kids. They were only in here for a few minutes. "What in the world?" Jaw hanging open, he looks around scratching his head. He sighs then observes the two kids responsible. One-half naked and the other pale, with sunglasses, hooded, and with pockets bursting with candy.

"Do you have any parents, kids?" Saji nods his head up and down. "Than where on earth are they?" He says in a stern voice. Saji looks down at his feet in shame. "My dad died, and my mom...I don't know where my mom is?" The man's face relaxes and he looks at the boys with empathy.

"Jee kid, where are your clothes." does he have a pair of orphans on his hands.

"Um…" Saji looks up at the man than at Junior.

"Never mind, just come with me, okay?" Saji follows the shopkeeper who leads him to a section with tourist driven clothing. Keychains, bobbles, snow globes. All kinds of trinkets amuse the small boy. "Here." The man hands Saji a pair of pants. The boy grabs them and puts them on. They're a bit big, but his legs feel much warmer. The man gathers more items for Saji and brings them over. "This should do it." he smiles at the youngster. What a nice man, Saji thinks while looking at the items before him. A pair of socks, a pair of blue running shoes with a yellow stripe on the side, and a black jacket with the town's name written across the back. Saji puts the socks and the shoes on. He then stands up to pull the jacket over his head. He looks around for Junior, but he has vanished once more.

"Right, your...? brother? Friend?" The man says with uncertainty, looking around.

A bing comes from the cash register and grabs their attention. "Hey, kid get away from that!" The man drops what he's doing and runs over to Junior pulling bills out of the cash register. "No! No! No!" the shopkeeper pushes the drawer closed and picks up the bills off the floor. He places them on the counter. "What's wrong with you kid? Didn't your parents teach you any manners." Junior ignores him and notices something under the counter. He polls the pistol hidden under the counter out. Then turns towards the man. "Hey now…" The cashier puts his hands up and backs away, what is he doing? He should try and take it back, this kid can hurt himself.

"You can shoot your eye out, little man. Hand that to me...okay?" He reaches his hand out to Junior who blows a raspberry and jumps onto the counter with a wicked grin. "Oh no." Saji moans. He knew that look all too well now. He doubts his friend even knows what a gun is, but It's like he can sense fear. He's like a shark, as soon as there's blood in the water there's no stopping him. Junior's sunglasses fall off and bounce from the counter onto the floor. "Awww…" Junior pouts. The man looks at the strange boy's face and raises a brow.

"You wearing face paint or something?"

 _...Naida..._

Naida sits alone in the lobby of the police station, the warm air is pure bliss. She is still wet and feels chilled to the core. Her pants are a mess. The red looks brown now. Naida's broken arm rests against her chest in a sling that the female officer tied up for her. She refused to go to the hospital. She knew they would not greet her warmly there. Not after what happened.

The police station smells of old coffee and newspapers. Coffee would be nice right now Naida muses. Something to warm her aching bones. One of the male police officers speaks to the doctor from the hospital in an office across from her. She can't hear what they are saying. She avoids eye contact with the mans venomous, electric gaze. Yup, she was right not to go.

Naida slouches in the chair and rests her head on the back. Her eyelids weigh a thousand tons and she can't fight the urge to sleep. Even with the pending situation involving her son. A small amount of guilt tickles her. She is enjoying this too much. It feels so good, is it getting darker in here...

"Is that her." A police officer asks the doctor.

"Yes." The surgeon says sharply. "She fought our staff when we tried to help her, then locked us in one of the isolation rooms," he says with disdain, "she's nuts! we were trying to eliminate that monster and she - would you believe it? Saved it!"

"Right well, we will be questioning her." The officer says solely. It is hard to believe Naida is capable of all that. The man's rage feels a bit odd.

"There's no need. She's a loon and should be put away. She's a danger to herself and her kid."

The police officer looks at the small red-headed woman resting on the chair. She doesn't look crazy? Then again do people ever look crazy? Sometimes, but her cooperativeness made him think otherwise. She has been very kind since they brought her in. Perhaps, he doesn't know the whole story.

"I...understand your concern." He motions to the other officer to escort the doctor out of the room. The female deputy greets her partner when she enters the office. "So, is it her?" He shrugs still looking at the mother in the waiting room. "It appears to be so, Pattelli." She nods and they both look at her sleeping in the chair. "She looks rough. I'll go see if I can get anything from her." Pattelli exits the office and walks casually towards the tired mother.

"Naida?"

The young mother jumps in her seat and corrects her posture as the officer approaches. "We need to keep you here for questioning." Naida rubs her face and eyes. She didn't know when she fell asleep or if she ever did. She looks at the female officer. Hadn't she spoke to her already? Or was that a dream? "I understand, I really do, but my son - Saji, is still out there with that creature -" The officer cuts her off.

"We've located what might be your son. There was a sighting at the gas station just off the main highway. A drifter. That creature scared the pants off that man."

"Than why hasn't someone gone and got him? He's barely 5 years old."

"Don't worry. Help is on the way, but we need you to answer a few questions."

"Whatever you want," Naida replies.

"What do you know about that monster?" Pattelli only knew what that doctor told the police and she needs him to be wrong.

"I doubt I really know anything more than you. I hit it with my car than took it to a hospital. They were going to kill him - it, so I stopped them and took it to the vet. It was dead. There was no heartbeat. I listened to it myself."

"Patelli? We need to go, they're calling in backup." Back up? Naida's heart races.

"Wait, why do they need back up?" The worry sick mother asks.

"Don't worry everything will be okay...we are going to get your son."

"Please, you have to let me go with you."

"You have to say here, ma'am. We are trained to do this."

"So were the army, but they were murdered along with my husband!" Pattelli's stomach turned. The doctor was right.

An officer takes Naida by the arm and guides her to an interrogation room. "Please, you can't just leave me here?!" The officer closes the door and Naida watches helplessly as they gear up in a hurry, then race out of the building. She hears the sirens turn on and listens to them as they get quieter. Naida tries the door, but it's locked. No surprise. She can't stay here and do nothing. This is ridiculous. She wishes she had an undo button, a 'ctrl z'. She feels helpless stuck in this room waiting for what? Some police to get her son back. They have that little blue imp to go through. The thing is nearly indestructible. It had no heartbeat and it came back from nothing. The whole army could not stop Cell who was well over three times the size of the young one.

She looks at the window and tries to open it with her one good arm, but its stuck. Looks to be done purposefully. "Makes sense." She walks over to the glass panel and knocks to get the officer's attention. He looks at her and comes to the door. "Can I get a coffee?" Naida asks. He smiles and nodes. "I still feel chilled." She feels a tad guilty for using him, but it's not the worst thing she has done all night. Technically morning, she corrects herself. He walks over to the coffee station leaving the door open. Naida stares at the door than at the officer. "Okay…?" Naida makes a run for it. "That was easy."

"Hey! stop!"

Naida runs down the street and hangs a left down the back lane, to try and lose the man. She can't hear him behind her, but she keeps making twists and turns, cutting through buildings until she loses her breath. The cold air makes her feel sick. She shivers and rubs her arms. A truck pulls up beside her and a gruff voice calls out to her. "Get in," her head jerks up to see Mosley behind the wheel, "I'll take you." He had been parked outside the police station for some time. He was there to speak to Deputy Pattelli, but he when he saw Naida run out he knew he wouldn't have another chance to help.

Naida doesn't hesitate and runs around the front of the vehicle and climbs in the passenger's side. "Do you know where we are going?" She looks at him and nods. "The convenience store off of the highway, do you know the one?" Mosley looks at her with a brow raised and a smirk. "You mean, do I know the one and only gas station in this one-horse town?" Naida feels a bit bashful, "yes I know the one." He chuckles.

 _...Saji..._

Red and blue lights flash outside and more begin to follow. Saji looks to the windowed storefront and sees what looks like the entire police force lining up outside. A loud shot fires and a light goes out. He looks at Junior staring at the gun in surprise. The storekeeper is crouching on the floor with his hands over his head then looks up at Junior. "Are you crazy, kid!? You're going to get someone hurt!"

"COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS UP."

A loud ringing follows and the high pitch stings Junior's sensitive ears. He covers them in annoyance. "We're in big trouble." Saji's voice is shaky. Junior looks at the frightened boy than jumps down from the counter and drops the gun on the floor. It goes off again and pierces a milk jug. The white liquid floods the floor until it empties. The Cashier's hairs stand on end and he slowly ducks back behind the counter.

Junior looks outside at the lineup of cars. He's mesmerized by the lights. Finally, some action in this place, he thinks to himself. "I wanna go home…" Saji crumples to the floor and hugs his knees. Junior looks at his friend and back at the police. The door jingles, grabbing Saji's attention. "No, don't go out there! They will take you away!" Worried to lose his one and only friend, Saji gets up and runs after him. Despite his fear and his lack of better judgment. Junior stands before the police who stare on from behind their vehicles. Two kids? They were told one? A police officer approaches the two kids but stops halfway.

Junior's predatory, bright eyes scan the cars curiously. His head caulks to the side. Usually, these people scramble in fright at the sight of him. Why aren't they scared? His inquisitive little hands trace his jawline. Oh yeah, the hoodie. Junior pulls it over his head. A commotion erupts amongst the police. The android has 15 guns pointing in his direction. He looks on at the frightened faces. That's more like it, Junior smiles. He has no clue why his presence evokes so much fear, but it is pretty amusing.

The imp takes a step forward then looks down at this legs. He pulls the restricting pants off and continues to approach the cars. The female officer sneaks around the back in an attempt to coax Saji over, but the little boy is too afraid to move. "Come over here, Saji," Pattelli says softly. She extends her hand to the boy. "Everything will be fine, we have your mom with us at the station." Moms with them? Saji perks up a bit. Wait, why is she at the station? Did she get in trouble? Are they going to put him in jail? He steps away from her and she moves towards him quickly. "No, don't be afraid, I can help you!" Junior turns around to assess the commotion. His smile dissipates. What's going on here?

Saji sees Junior appear in front of the female officer. She jolts in surprise. The little android turns his head and looks at Saji behind him. Is she trying to take my things? The small android frowns in annoyance than fixes his sharp eyes on hers. I think not, lady.

 _...Naida..._

Naida and Mosley hit the highway, Just as a helicopter flies overhead. It looks military to Naida. Another cop car flies by, passing them from another town. "They're bringing in reinforcements from outside, I haven't seen that in years." Naida looks at Moseley, with curiosity. "Why would they need to do that?" She had the answer. She didn't really need to ask. Before Mosley could respond and helicopter spins into view, swirling out of control as a fire engulfs the cockpit.

"Look out!" Naida screams. It flies overhead and crashes into the mountainside. Mosley slams on the breaks and their bodies press into their seat belts. The helicopter rolls onto the road, blocking their path. "We should help them," Mosley says somberly, as he quickly undoes his seatbelt. "But, Saji?" Naida presses him. "I need to get to him."

"We're not going anywhere with this contraption blocking our way."

"But, we can find another way around!"

"For Kami's sake, woman! These people need help, they are going to die-"

"So does my son! He's practically a baby. He can't defend himself."

"Then you go do what you must, but I'm staying here to help as much as I can."

Naida watches Mosley run towards the blazing heap of metal. It is awful for her to think, but those pilots are probably dead. However, there is a chance Saji is still alive. She runs over to the railing beside the helicopter. She can just make out the sign through the trees further down the road. She isn't that far off, She could make it if she ran. There isn't really a way around the helicopter without doing something dangerous. She takes a deep breath, then steps over the railing slowly. Naida starts to tremble when she looks at the drop below. They almost went over this cliff in the car earlier. It brought back the memory and Naida grasps onto the railing with her one good arm. Her palms begin to sweat, as the wind pushes against her body.

"Saji, I'm not going to give up on you." A powerful shock hits into her body, the sound is so loud it makes her ears ringing painfully. She looks over to the gas station and a plume of smoke and fire rises into the air.

 _...Somewhere near the foot of Mount Paozu…_

"There it is again!" The eleven-year-old stands up in his chair, fists clenched. A recurrence of energy has been bothering him for hours. What's going on? It felt identical to Cell. "But, I killed him. There's no way he could have revived himself. I put everything I had into that Kamehameha." The boy's energy swells as he tries to focus in on the energy. He hoped he wouldn't feel it again. That would only mean more lives lost. Those jolts of energy were strong enough to hurt people, there is no doubt about that. It is pretty far north. Had he failed? There is only one way to find out for sure. If he hurries he might make it.

"Gohan, what's all that yelling in there! You better be finished your studies!"

* * *

Hello readers, terribly sorry for the absence. Because of current commitments, I'm a little tied up, but those commitments will let up at the end of January. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thank you for all the reviews, both helpful and kind. Happy new year!


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